26.05.2020 - Slovakia Post COVID-19 Recovery: How to Deliver a Green Boost to the Economy
Tuesday, 26 May 10-11:30
Virtual round table discussion via ZOOM (participation subject to invitation only)
GLOBSEC and Buildings for the Future (BPB) are organizing an interactive virtual round table discussion on how Slovakia can prepare and streamline low carbon energy projects for immediate funding/investment and use the post-COVID-19 stimulus to shape a more sustainable, resilient and competitive economy for the future.
As the health crisis subsides and CEE governments begin to unwind lockdowns, full attention turns to reviving battered national economies. While maintaining employment levels in struggling companies and industries remains the top priority, green recovery measures with high economic upside should be identified and promoted. This discussion will centre on the opportunities and challenges facing green recovery measures in Slovakia.
- Minister of Environment Jan Budaj recently joined several Member States as the lone V4 country to pledge support for the European Green Deal playing a central role in post-COVID-19 economic recovery and overall CEE countries appear lukewarm. What is the right balance between frontloading European Green Deal funds in response to the crisis and maintaining long-term energy transition objectives? Is there any kind of coordination among V4?
- The building ’renovation wave’ is widely considered to be the most practical form of climate-friendly economic stimulus and in Slovakia, there is excess demand especially for public buildings. Between the administrative and financial allocation process, how fast can these projects be scaled up? What are the prospects for expanding green transport infrastructure and investing in grid modernization?
- Like its neighbours, Slovakia’s economy is highly industrialized and dependent on intra-EU exports. For the automotive industry, in particular, this cyclical demand shock underlines a structural decline at the hands of global digital and clean mobility trends. How can long-term recovery measures help reorient Slovakia’s economy towards emerging innovative clean technologies?
Kick-off Speakers:
- Martin Hojsik, Member of European Parliament, Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
- Elena Visnar-Malinovska, Head of Unit, DG CLIMA
- Livia Vasakova, Head of Economic Analyses Section, Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia
- Katarina Nikodemova, Director, Buildings for the Future
- Norbert Kurilla, Adviser to the President of Slovakia, Office of the President, Slovak Republic
Moderator
- Nolan Theisen, Climate and Energy Fellow, GLOBSEC
You can see the video with the full recording of the event below
You can read the outcome report with the summary of the discussion below