Does Slovakia need a Visions?

strategy
A modern concrete bridge pier standing isolated in calm water, with a short stretch of road deck pointing skyward, unconnected to either riverbank.

Over the past month, media reports have circulated regarding "Vision Slovakia 2040"—prepared by a Slovak Academy of Sciences team commissioned by the Slovak Government—and calls for a broad societal consensus on its content. A vision is vital for any national leadership because it defines the country's direction and the intended outcomes of its development for the people; it aims to bridge the gap between day-to-day decisions and long-term goals, while also interlinking diverse development stakeholders—ranging from public sector actors across the political spectrum and the business community to academia and civil society representatives. In this context, the Slovak Government's initiative is to be welcomed. However, for the vision to fulfill these key roles, it cannot emerge merely as an academic construct devoid of a broad participatory process, nor can it be introduced into an environment where daily political decisions signal a lack of interest in the genuine, sustainable development of the state for the benefit of citizens and future generations. Such a situation undermines the vision's credibility and prevents key development stakeholders from embracing it—a step essential for its actual realization. Moreover, Slovakia lacks the legal and institutional framework necessary to adequately anchor such a strategic document within the decision-making system. In 2021, the Government of the Slovak Republic approved the "Vision and Strategy for the Development of Slovakia until 2030" and designated it as the Regional Development Strategy of the Slovak Republic in accordance with applicable legislation; this action legally anchored the document and—at least formally—linked it to the primary integration tool for implementing sustainable development: regional development policy. However, the "Vision 2040" document completely ignores this earlier strategy, despite the fact that, from a strategic planning perspective, they ought to align—not to mention that their timeframes overlap. If "Vision Slovakia 2040" is serious about the sustainability of Slovakia’s development, the absence of an explicit explanation regarding which "Slovakia 2030" commitments are being adopted, modified, or abandoned—and based on what assessment—is inexcusable. State leadership should explain which previous goals were achieved, which remain valid, and why certain priorities are shifting. This is necessary regardless of the fact that the previous strategic document was drafted under the current political configuration, approved by an opposition government, and subsequently ignored during the preparation of the "Slovakia Programme"—the fundamental document for the current EU programming period in Slovakia, which is being implemented by the present government. After all, a vast portion of regional development investment in Slovakia is funded by EU sources, and a vision derives its true value precisely from being linked to a strategy, a budget, and accountability for implementation.

 A vision should fulfill several practical functions:

  • Setting priorities. The state has limited resources, and a vision helps decide where to allocate them first.
  • Linking sectors. For instance, healthy population aging requires coordinated action across healthcare, social services, housing, and the labor market.
  • Fostering continuity across administrations. Education reforms, energy policy, and transport infrastructure require more than a single electoral term. A broad consensus on direction reduces the risk of repeatedly scrapping and restarting projects.
  • Increasing predictability. Citizens, businesses, and local governments can plan more effectively when they are aware of the state’s long-term intentions.
  • Enabling public oversight. If a vision is translated into measurable targets, the public can assess whether long-term sustainability goals are reflected in election manifestos and government policy statements, and whether political and executive decisions are yielding the expected results.
  • Preparing the country for future changes. It helps in responding proactively to identified challenges and issues (such as population aging, technological shifts, or climate change) while also building resilience against unexpected shocks (e.g., a conflict in the Middle East).

The "Slovakia 2040" vision fulfills these functions to varying degrees. Its greatest strength lies in identifying future challenges and the direction of societal development (would the participative process bring different views?). It currently does not provide the necessary framework for decisions regarding priorities, resources, ensuring continuity, and public oversight. The document identifies six areas of transformation, such as state reform, economic transformation, and investment in people. The "Vision to 2040" is not a long-term vision in the strict sense; a 13-year outlook would necessitate prioritization, particularly given competing demands for resources.

At the conceptual level, the vision perceives the need to connect sectorial issues, but the creation of inter-sectorial interdisciplinary teams is not a systemic solution and does not reflect the solutions already defined in the Vision and Strategy 2030. The medium-term horizon of 13 years exceeding the standard 4-year governing periods in the Slovak Republic, broad professional participation and the declared non-party character can support continuity. By themselves, however, they do not guarantee political agreement or respect for the document by future governments, which is evidenced by the very limited contribution of the Vision to increasing the predictability of political decision-making and especially the economic environment of the Slovak Republic. Public control is possible only by establishing clear starting and target values ​​(not only by identifying trends of growth or decline), responsibilities and evaluation processes guaranteeing transparency within the clearly named necessary transformation of governance and administration. A prerequisite for preparing the country for future changes is naming them, working with megatrends, scenarios, risks, however, in a world where we are confronted with enormous unpredictability of development, the vision cannot fail to include key changes necessary to increase the country's readiness to reflect currency dynamics, increase resilience, adaptability, and the ability to respond to unexpected challenges and problems.

The discussion regarding the Vision emerged and subsequently vanished amidst the political turbulence of recent days. The question remains as to who will take it up, carry it forward constructively—without claiming a monopoly on wisdom—and ensure that the intellectual effort invested in it does not go to waste.

  • Slovakia 2030: Vision and strategy for the development of Slovakia until 2030 – a long-term strategy for the sustainable development of the Slovak Republic, approved by the government on January 20, 2021 by resolution no. 41/2021.
  • Slovakia 2040: Vision Slovakia 2040: The path to a better quality of life, prepared under the guarantee of the SAS and approved by the government on September 9, 2026 by resolution no. 385/2026.