BIG COMPANIES dominate Slovak exports. Last year, exports from the country's ten biggest exporters accounted for nearly 41 percent of total export volume, which came to over Sk1,240 billion (€37 billion) according to preliminary estimates of the Slovak Statistics Office.
The carmaker Volkswagen Slovakia tops the chart of Slovak exporters. The steel producer U.S. Steel Košice placed second and the Slovnaft oil refinery third. These were followed by Samsung Electronics Slovakia, Samsung Electronics Europe Logistics, Sony Slovakia, PSA Slovakia, Mondi Business Paper SCP, Hydro Aluminium and Whirlpool Slovakia. The group of the next 10 biggest exporters made up only six percent of the total volume.
Firms in Slovakia imported Sk1,333 billion (€39.8 billion) worth of goods last year, with the top ten importers making up 31.7 percent of the total volume. The carmaker Volkswagen Slovakia tops the chart of companies in this category, too. The second largest importer was Slovnaft, and the third Samsung Electronics Slovakia. These were followed by the gas utility Slovenský Plynárenský Priemysel, U.S. Steel Košice, Sony Slovakia, SAS Automotive, Škoda Auto Slovensko, PSA Slovakia and Continental Matador. The group of the next ten biggest Slovak importers' imports represented only 3.9 percent of the total volume of imported goods.
Last year's foreign trade deficit was Sk93.1 billion (€2.8 billion).
