• Entered the European Union – 1st May 2004
• Year on year export growth of 30.2% (FDI.net)
• Adoption of the €Euro agreed for January 2009
• 2007 GDP of 8.75% (FDI.net)
• 2009 predicted GDP of 7% (FDI.net)
• 70% increase in FDI from 2005 to 2006 (WIIW)
• Predicted national economic growth rate of 5% over the mid-term (Nat. Bank of Slovakia.)
• Low rental income tax
• No capital gains on long-term property holdings
• 15,000 apartments begun construction in 2006

These are exciting times for investors in Slovakia. The country's accession to the EU (1st May 2004) combined with it having one of the fastest GDP growth rate in Central Europe means that it merits serious attention from property investors.

The 15,000 Slovakian apartments that begun construction in 2007 are testiment to the country’s present shortfall of real estate. There is a desperate need to replace impoverished Communist housing stock. Bratislava‘s Mayor Andrej Durkovsky’s vision is clear, "The rather compact centre of the Capital will enlarge towards the Danube River within the next few years. We want Bratislava to become a city on the Danube River, and this extraordinary river will become a city-forming element,”

The property market is growing fast with fantastic increases in real estate values. The capital, Bratislava, gives you great investment opportunity and healthy rental returns and its costs are still comparatively lower than both Prague & Budapest.

Slovakia’s investment potential is bolstered by it’s superb strategic location in the heart of Europe, bordered by four other EU countries. Over the past few years Slovakia has implemented some of the most progressive reforms of all the new EU accession countries, and, in the eyes of many analysts, it now has one of the most progressive business environments in the EU. Last year Slovakia had the fastest transforming business environment in the world (source The World Bank.) Comparisons are already being made with the Republic of Ireland's economic transformation in the 1990s. This why Slovakia has enjoyed the relocation of many key international companies.

All of these are factors will have hugely beneficial effects to property related investments within the Slovakian Republic and most of all Bratislava.

Geography
The northernmost point lies near the Beskydok mountain in the Beskides, near the Oravská Polhora municipality on the border with Poland. The southernmost point lies near the Patince municipality on the Danube, bordering Hungary. The westernmost point lies on the Morava River near Záhorská Ves at the Austrian border and the easternmost point is located near the summit of the Kremenec mountain near the village of Nová Sedlica, at the tri-point area Slovakia-Ukraine-Poland.

Currency
Slovak Koruna (SKK) – adopting the €uro January 2009

Capital City
Bratislava

Population
5.38 million people

Major Airports
Bratislava
Kosice