- The share of Slovak firms investing now matches the EU average, facing relatively few financial constraints.
- Innovation in Slovakia is approaching EU levels, with strong performance in manufacturing and a broadly EU‑comparable uptake of advanced digital technologies and generative AI, mainly for internal processes and marketing.
- Most Slovak firms struggle with increasingly complex regulations and perceive stricter climate standards more as a risk than an opportunity.
Slovak companies are maintaining robust investment activity, increasingly tapping external finance and showing strong integration in international trade, according to the latest European Investment Bank Investment Survey (EIBIS) 2025 of Slovakia. At the same time, the new survey shows that the share of firms investing in Slovakia has risen steadily in recent years and now matches the EU average.
Investment is driven primarily by medium and large companies and by firms in manufacturing and infrastructure, while expectations for future investment growth have cooled markedly. At the same time, Slovak firms report weakening confidence in the economic and regulatory outlook and perceive climate regulation more as a risk than an opportunity.
Debora Revoltella, Chief Economist of the European Investment Bank, said: “Slovak firms are clearly committed to investing, innovating and competing internationally. Yet heightened uncertainty, regulatory complexity and concerns around climate standards weigh on their outlook. Ensuring predictable frameworks and targeted support for green and digital investment will be essential to sustain competitiveness and accelerate the transition.”
EIBIS 2025 for Slovakia shows strong investments but softening outlook. Some 88% of Slovak firms invested in the last financial year, in line with the EU average, with medium and large firms and those in manufacturing and infrastructure the most active. However, the net balance of firms expecting to increase investment has dropped sharply compared to previous years, indicating a more cautious stance.
The share of firms using external finance has risen above the EU average, but the amount of investment financed through external finance remains below. Banks remain the main funding source and dissatisfaction with borrowing costs similar to that in the EU. Only 3.3% of firms are finance-constrained - one of the lowest shares recorded and well below the EU average.
Slovakia is also highly integrated into global trade: 82% of firms are engaged in international trade, particularly in manufacturing. Compared with EU peers, Slovak firms report fewer issues with sourcing materials, logistics or customs, but they identify compliance with new regulations and standards as their main international trade challenge, with exporters facing especially fragmented requirements across EU markets.
On climate and innovation, two-thirds of Slovak firms report that physical climate risks such as extreme weather or changing climate patterns affect their operations, with medium and large firms most exposed. Nearly six in ten see stricter climate standards and regulations primarily as a risk, and only a small minority view them mainly as an opportunity, in contrast with more positive expectations in the EU overall. At the same time, innovation and AI adoption are catching up with the EU: 29% of Slovak firms report innovation activity, with manufacturing leading in new products and processes, and adoption of advanced digital technologies broadly in line with the EU average. Some 35% of Slovak firms use generative artificial intelligence, focusing mainly on internal processes and on marketing and sales, with particularly high uptake in services. Most firms are already taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, notably through waste reduction and energy efficiency, but a smaller share than in the EU sets and monitors explicit emission targets or has undertaken climate adaptation investments and climate-related insurance, pointing to substantial scope to strengthen resilience and preparedness.
The EIB Investment Survey is conducted annually and provides a representative picture of investment activities, financing conditions, innovation and climate-related actions across EU firms and in the United States. The 2025 wave for Slovakia is based on telephone interviews with 401 firms, carried out between April and July 2025.
The full country report about Slovakia is available here.
Background information
EIB
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed a total of €88 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in 2023. These commitments are expected to mobilise around €320 billion in investment, supporting 400 000 companies and 5.4 million jobs.
All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Accord. The EIB Group does not fund investments in fossil fuels. We are on track to deliver on our commitment to support €1 trillion in climate and environmental sustainability investment in the decade to 2030 as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Over half of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.
Approximately half of the EIB's financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower. This underscores the Bank's commitment to fostering inclusive growth and the convergence of living standards.