The refining margin of Hungary's MOL , the owner of Slovnaft, stood at $30 per barrel at the end of March, compared to $20 in the past, data from Swiss bank UBS show. Following the outbreak of the war in the Middle East, Poland's Orlen, which also owns refineries in Czechia, increased its refining margin (the difference between the price of crude oil and the price of refined products) by 25% to $25. MOL and Orlen are the largest gas station operators in Slovakia (along with O

A consortium of Tempra, Doprastav, and Váhostav  won the state-owned Železnice SR tender to modernize a 20 km section of the Vydrník-Markušovce railway track with a bid of €467m. The state-owned firm had estimated the cost at €632m, and the other two bids in the tender were also well below this estimate. This is one of three sections in the Spiš region with a total length of 50 km, the reconstruction of which is scheduled for completion in 2031. ( sme.sk )

In my opinion, China's Gotion will not build the battery plant in Šurany , Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba said. He explains Gotion is already 13 months behind schedule, lacks a project design, and has not submitted all the documents required for an Environmental Impact Assessment. The government approved a €214m investment stimulus for the €1.2bn investment last year. Gotion declined to comment on the minister's remarks, stating only that it continues constructing a pilot

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 )