Nippon Steel's Košice Plant Chief Rebukes Slovak Environment Minister Over Business Climate

The president of Slovakia's largest steelworks has publicly criticized the country's environment minister, sending a sharp message to the Slovak government over what he described as unhelpful rhetoric toward business. James Bruno, who heads the Košice steel plant owned by Japanese industrial giant Nippon Steel and employs more than 7,500 workers, said he was deeply disappointed by recent public statements made by Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba. Bruno urged Taraba to stop behaving inappropriately toward business and instead focus on finding real solutions to keep key Slovak industrial facilities operational. The Košice steelworks is one of Slovakia's most significant industrial employers, making the dispute between its leadership and a senior government minister a matter of considerable economic and political weight. The broader business roundup also noted declining profits at Slovnaft, the major Slovak oil refinery, and at the controversial toy retailer Dráčik, while a defense manufacturer in Tisovec recorded profit for the first time.