Accessing the External Competitiveness: The Case of Slovakia

Abstract

The paper focus on the external competitiveness of the Slovak Republic and its ability to succeed in the foreign markets. The level of foreign trade specialization in terms of revealed comparative advantage and the type of competitiveness for different technology classes is identified. The analysis for the period 1999-2021 demonstrates trends in the development of Slovak economy´s specialization. The findings confirmed that Slovak production is competitive on the European market in several industries, mainly in automotive production, electronics and iron and steel, which competitiveness is based on tradition and low costs resulting in lower prices.