Re: Government's economic goals largely met, Business shorts, Volume 12, Number 20, May 22 - May 28, 2006
I think it is a great pity that the respective Slovak governments since independence have not focused on all aspects of the heritage of the past. A lot of what was not totally controlled by the CS government before 1989 has been left to sink or swim. An example of this is 'Coop-Jednota', a general supplier of both food and non-food products, which was founded in 1952, much along the lines of the Swiss 'Migros Genossenschaftbund'.
Now, 'the Migros' in Switzerland is not just an entity but an institution that most Swiss cannot imagine living without. Before a Coop-Jednota was given the chance to establish itself thoroughly in the new free society, fully commercial outsiders like Billa, Carrefour, Tesco, Kaufland, Hypernova, Metro and Lidl were let in with only the minor constraint of having to market a certain percentage of locally-produced products and produce.
I sometimes get the feeling that the respective Slovak governments somewhat too hastily transformed society from almost completely Communist to almost completely capitalist. The mentioned governments did their homework indeed, but may have overlooked a few chapters in their race to become part of the west.
Oscar,
Radošovce
