Slovak Cultural Organization Seeks State Bailout for Troubled Printing House in Martin

Matica slovenská, Slovakia's oldest cultural organization, is asking the state to buy shares in its struggling printing company Neografia to prevent its collapse. The printing house, located in the central Slovak city of Martin, has been undergoing court-supervised debt restructuring since late last year and currently employs around 230 workers, down from 430 before its financial troubles began. Martin has already lost several major employers in recent years, including the Ecco shoe factory which closed with 650 jobs last year. Matica slovenská, founded in 1863 to promote Slovak language and culture, argues that Neografia cannot survive without state assistance and is seeking government intervention to preserve both the company and remaining jobs in the economically challenged city.