Premium
Youth are leaving Romania and Slovakia, and to make them come back the countries must invest in education, research, innovation and start-ups, Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska told the Romania - Slovakia Bilateral Business Forum.
"People are leaving from our countries. I know that a few millions of Romanians have left the country, a few hundred thousands have left Slovakia. We sometimes feel that the best young people leave the country. We must think what to do to keep them home. (...) I have a 26-year-old daughter, she left to London, then moved to Prague, and I asked her to come back. My 30-year-old son went abroad. All of us parents want to see our children close to us. They told me: "Father, we need those companies in Slovakia. When they come, we'll also come." How can we make the big companies hire them in Romania and Slovakia? Let us invest in research, innovation, let us prepare our society for them, to provide them with opportunities to be here. There are two priorities for us to focus on in the future, namely education and research, development, innovation and start-ups," the Slovak head of state said.
He pointed out that Slovakia expects this year a 4 percent economic growth in the context in which the country's budget is under control and unemployment is declining.
"Among the things we have in common [Slovakia and Romania], you have Dracula and we have Dracula's Lady, Elizabeth Bathory. Both our countries need a good economic growth. We also expect a 4 percent economic growth, we have the budget under control, unemployment is increasingly lower. Both our countries fare well, but we also have common problems. We can see great differences among regions. There is a difference between our countries, a very big one, and I must say I am sorry that we don't have these similarities, namely that you have started a very strong fight against corruption. Unfortunately, this has not happened in Slovakia yet," Andrej Kiska also said.
