Waste management firms FCC, Remondis, and Saubermacher, along with investment groups KKR, Apollo GM, and Macquarie AM, expressed interest in the assets of Danish waste company Marius Pedersen in Slovakia and Czechia, according to sources from Infrastructure Investor Deals. The deal is estimated at €700m. KPMG is assisting the Danes with the sale and expects updated offers by early summer. Marius Pedersen operates 34 subsidiaries and employs 4,300 people across the two countr

The average hourly labor costs in the EU stood at €34.9 last year, up from €33.5 in 2024, Eurostat reported. They ranged from €12 in Bulgaria to €57 in Luxembourg. The Slovak figure was the 11th lowest in the EU . Hourly labor costs: 2025 2016 Austria €46.3 €32.5 Czechia €19.8 €10.3 Slovakia €19.8 €10.2 Poland €19.1 €8.7 Hungary €15.2 €7.8 ( Eurostat )

Slovakia recorded a population decline for the fifth consecutive year , losing 51,000 people since 2021, ŠÚ reported . At the end of last year, the population stood at 5.409m. The birth rate hit an all-time low of 42,000 children, while 53,500 people died. The birth rate will continue to decline as smaller age cohorts enter productive age. Slovakia's net migration remained positive last year but reached only 1,000 people, while the number of emigrants continues to rise. ŠÚ ex

U.S. Steel Košice reduced its loss to €56m last year from €100m in 2024. In 2021–22, thanks to a recovery in demand, it reported a net profit of €980m. This year, it expects a slight improvement in results due to a cautious recovery in European demand. The steel mill, which employs 7,600 people, produced only 3.2m tons of steel last year, 1.3m tons below capacity. Revenue fell from €2.7bn to €2.4bn. The new owner, Japan’s Nippon Steel, is currently deciding on a €1.5bn decar

Hungary’s Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), funded by Viktor Orbán’s government, recently approached several players in the Slovak book market with acquisition offers, including the Ikar publishing house and the Panta Rhei bookstore chain, both owned by J&T, sources told the daily N. Both parties declined to comment. The current Hungarian opposition party, Tisza, intends to dismantle MCC’s structures if it wins the April 12 general election. ( dennikN.sk )

The Bánovce nad Bebravou plant of Japanese automotive supplier Alpha plans to create 100 jobs thanks to a new line for painting plastic parts. The plant in the local industrial park already operates two production lines and employs 317 people. Last year, it reported a net profit of €0.7m on €27m in sales. ( sme.sk )

Korean company Wia , part of the Hyundai Group, acquired the plant formerly used by Danish footwear manufacturer Ecco in Martin. According to Mayor Ján Danko, production will begin in the coming months. Ecco ceased production last year, resulting in the loss of 650 jobs. Wia operates a plant in Dolný Hričov near Žilina that manufactures components for the Kia plant in Žilina. ( sita.sk )

Slovenské skleníky (Ján Sabol) is investing €19m in 50,000 sqm of tomato greenhouses in Leopoldov. Sabol’s Exata Group, one of Slovakia’s largest farming operations with 300,000 ha under management, has not previously been active in vegetable cultivation. The greenhouses will be heated using waste heat from the neighboring Enviral biofuel plant, also owned by Sabol. The project will create 50 jobs. ( sme.sk )

“ Elections are coming, we won’t do anything , our approval ratings are falling,” PM Robert Fico told a meeting with employer groups. He was responding to their proposals for economic‑stimulus measures, including a flat tax (20% rate on both income and VAT), sweeping tax simplification, abolition of the financial transaction tax, and cuts to energy price subsidies and the 13th pensions. The remarks were published by AZZZ head Rastislav Machunka; Fico denied making them. Inter

Slovakia is the 4th‑poorest country in the EU, if you believe Eurostat purchasing power parity data. GDP per capita in PPP terms as a share of the EU average (nominal GDP data in brackets): 2025 2015 Austria 117 (134) 128 (143) Czechia 92 (76) 89 (58) Poland 81 (59) 70 (41) Hungary 76 (55) 70 (41) Slovakia 75 (60) 78 (53) ( Eurostat , hnonline.sk ) In nominal terms, disregarding purchasing power, Slovak GDP per capita is the 8th‑lowest in the EU and exceeds that of Poland