H.E. Michal Kottman: Slovakia Faced Up to EU Challenges

Novinite Insider » INTERVIEW | May 1, 2004, Saturday // 00:00
H.E. Michal Kottman: Slovakia Faced Up to EU Challenges Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (novinite.com)

H.E. Michal Kottman, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Sofia since February 2004. He was born in Zvolen, Slovakia in 1960. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Czecho-Slovakia after graduation from university in 1985, worked as a diplomat in Cambodia and Beijing. Before coming to Sofia he headed EU External Relations and CFSP Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bratislava.

H.E. Michal Kottman is one of the ambassadors of the new EU member states, which Novinite.com Editor-in-Chief Milena Hristova approached with three questions.

Q: What advantages and risks do you expect after Slovakia's accession to the European Union?

It is not easy to answer the question in brief. Advantages and risks would differ depending on which part of economy or social group is looked at.

But speaking about the country as a whole, Slovakia becomes a part of the largest single market in the world (which is already a natural economic area for our economy and companies, as roughly 90% of Slovak exports go to EU members, acceding and candidate countries). Our products will have an easier access to the markets of other European countries. Accession to the EU will open the economy wider and increase the country's credibility, which will attract more foreign investments.

On the other hand, there will be a lot of pressure on some companies to adapt fully to higher labor productivity and production standards. Price increases can be expected, which is always a sensitive problem, but these should be neither wide nor dramatic. Adaptation to EU regulations in the field of health and safety at work, in the social area, in the field of the environment, indirect taxes and waste management will lead to greater costs for producers. However, stricter regulations will mean less polluted environment and reduction of a variety of health risks, while the pressure from European competitors will lead to better quality of our products. The use of EU funds and state co-financing will help less developed regions.

There are also such obvious gains from being a European citizen as more freedom to travel, study, do business, work and settle in other EU member countries.

However, Slovakia does not perceive EU membership merely through enhancing the country's socio-economic progress. Political stability, predictable development and sharing common values of democracy, human rights and market economy are equally important to us, if not more so.

Q: What was the greatest obstacle that the country faced during its pre-accession negotiations?

I would rather talk about challenges. There were chapters easily closed, and, on the contrary, quite difficult chapters. In the pre-accession period, a lot of work had to be done in the sphere of agriculture. Improving administrative capacity was a real challenge, too. The highest number of transition periods that we asked for was in the area of environment protection.

Q: What are the three most important things, which the Bulgarian government must do before 2007?

There are no simple recipes for success in pre-accession preparation process. And, I am sure, Bulgaria is moving in a right direction.

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