On March 30 of this year the HN Club, focusing on the topic of a green and sustainable Slovakia as one of the priorities of the national Renewal Plan, organized a discussion involving SR Minister for Environment Ján Budaj, National Union of Employers (RÚZ) President and  USSK Vice President External Affairs, Administration and Business Development Miroslav Kiraľvarga, ČSOB Director Corporate Solutions Division Koloman Buzgó and State Secretary SR Ministry of Economy Karol Galek.

The discussion was chaired by Marcela Šimková, Editor-in-Chief of Hospodárske Noviny (HN, the Economics Daily). The first round focused on the issue of a green but also competitive Slovakia, and in this context the participants talked about the distribution of financial resources within the Plan for Renewal and Sustainability. Miroslav Kiraľvarga pointed out that: “These resources are subsidies awarded by the European Commission, but they come from loans drawn from the financial markets. There will come a time when these loans have to be repaid, so the resources will need to be allocated sensibly and invested in areas which ensure some return and sustainability of investment for us.“ In the next round they discussed the impact on industry and the challenges it faces as a result of adoption of the carbon neutrality objective. With regard to this the issue of emissions allowances was raised, followed by the so-called “carbon duty“ which should be imposed on imports of products with a heavy “carbon footprint“ from countries outside of the EU. The transition to non-fossil fuels and the decarbonization of industry are going to require considerable investments into new, green technologies, as that is the only way for Slovakia to remain competitive. In the assessment of projects the concept of value for money will be very important: “So long as we find agreement and support within government, in a short time, maybe five years, here in Košice we could have the first green steelworks in central and eastern Europe,“ said Miroslav Kiraľvarga, closing the discussion.