Stock image. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
At the beginning of October last year, the Ukrainian courier company Nova Post opened its first Slovak branch, in Bratislava. Although primarily focusing on Ukrainians who want to send parcels home, it also wants to reach Slovak companies, using access to the Ukrainian market with 30 million customers as a lure.
According to CEO Alexander Lysovets, Nova Post has invested €100,000 to start business in Slovakia, and plans to build a network throughout the country.
Founded in 2001, the company is a relatively large player when it comes to delivery services. In addition to Ukraine and Moldova, it operates in 5 other EU countries, has 15,000 parcel machines, and in 2022 transported 315 million parcels.
Nova Post is just one example of how Ukrainians are increasingly entering Slovakia's economy. Their importance has significantly grown since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, driving millions of people out of Ukraine. Some settled in Slovakia and, according to statistics, are actively involved in the local economy.
Not just workers
According to the Interior Ministry, 2,500 Ukrainians changed their status from temporary refuge to temporary residence for business purposes between the spring of 2022 and the middle of 2023.
At the end of last year, more than 3,000 private limited liability and joint-stock companies, in which Ukrainians are either owners or end users of benefits, were registered on FinStat. Almost 750 were created in the last two years.
