Central bank governor: Things are worse for Slovakia than expected

The National Bank of Slovakia revises its GDP estimate downward.

The National Bank of Slovakia. The National Bank of Slovakia. (Source: Jana Liptáková)

In a worst-case scenario, the Slovak coronavirus-hit economy may contract by as much as 13.5 percent this year.

The National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), the country’s central bank, assumes this figure in its revised outlook of the possible economic development of Slovakia for 2020. In a best-case scenario, Slovakia’s gross domestic product would fall by 5.8 percent this year, still more than a decline of 5.4 percent Slovakia experienced during the financial crisis in 2009.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

The NBS considers the medium-scenario’s decline of around 9 percent being most likely. One month ago the NBS’s scenarios indicated a contraction between 1.4 and 9.4 percent this year, seeing the medium-case scenario with a 4.5 percent decline as the most probable.

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

Over the weekend, several centimetres of snow, the first bigger cover of the season, fell in the High Tatras.

Winter offers best conditions.


Peter Filip
New projects will change the skyline of Bratislava.

Among the established names are some newcomers.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
SkryťClose ad