With laughter through tears it can be said that so-called mailbox companies have a paradise here in Slovakia. But when companies are to have mailboxes, it’s considered a problem. This issue has a history several years long, which culminates now and has three levels.
The project of the hockey Team Europe is a practical example of advantages coming form a flexible approach. First of all, it enables those European countries which have an established competitive team toenter on their own. At the same time, Team Europe is an amazing solution for countries with a handful of excellent hockey players, yet not enough to create a team which would be competitive on the international scene.
The sigh in the title refers to my experiences from my trip to Brussels back in March and to Paris in April. More specifically it takes me back to a Paris restaurant, Paris streets and to Brussels meeting rooms. Even though they took place in different environment, they are a perfect display of the current state of Europe.
If the needs of economy are long ignored, the ability to create resources necessary for maintaining or even improving our standards of living will be lost. The politicians – whether the ones in Slovakia, in foreign countries or in institutions of EU – should finally acknowledge several basic priorities vital for business.
The Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia has already submitted a document to the Minister of Economy which includes 40 bureaucratic absurdities that were previously identified by both entrepreneurs and the lay public under the patronage of the Bureaucratic Nonsense of the Year project.
I can already see the ironic grins, since I suggest creating new bureaucracy to fight bureaucracy. By applying this suggestion, however, no new administration would be created. The existing one would be reorganized so there would be a clearly assigned authority and responsibility to accomplish this important priority.
Over 90% of legislative burden in Slovakia comes from four ministries: the Ministry of Finances, the Ministry of Labor, thr Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economy. The highest share, about 65% (EUR 1.7 billion) comes from the Ministry of Finances.
Slovak politicians create rules for entrepreneurship as if for people living on a different planet – and that is the way it has been for many years already. It is the politics of excessive interference in economics, which inherently and often unnecessarily limits enterprise freedoms.
From a total of 34 OECD countries, 29 of them have a minister for regulatory reform – Slovakia is not one of them. 33 OECD countries have a permanent institution for overseeing regulatory policy – Slovakia is not one of them.
The selection of administrative nonsenses listed every year gives a perfect overview of how many obstacles entrepreneurs must overcome if they want to run business in Slovakia. Feel free to nominate a nonsense that bothers you most – visit www.byrokratickynezmysel.sk and submit your suggestion until this Sunday.
