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The Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) submitted the key strategic document Vision Slovakia 2040 at the end of June, marking an important milestone in shaping the country’s long-term development. The document now moves to the next stage of expert peer review before being submitted to the Slovak government for consideration.

The strategic document evaluates Slovakia’s current situation, identifies the core values that should guide its future development, outlines possible scenarios based on global megatrends, and defines the main priorities for achieving its overarching objective: improving the quality of life for people living in Slovakia.

Vision Slovakia 2040 is built on four strategic pillars:

• A dignified life
• A prosperous economy
• A sustainable country
• A modern state

The Vision will be followed by Strategy Slovakia 2040, which the Slovak Academy of Sciences will develop between summer 2026 and the end of March 2027. The strategy will translate the Vision’s priorities into concrete, measurable actions, including implementation responsibilities and financing mechanisms.

“Vision 2040 identifies both Slovakia’s weaknesses and its greatest strengths. Among the most serious challenges are unfavourable demographic trends and the state of public finances. At the same time, we can build on reliable, low-carbon nuclear energy and on industries that rank among the world’s leaders in several sectors. Thanks to this Vision, I am convinced that Slovakia has strong foundations and a clear direction for the future,” said Martin Venhart, President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

To improve quality of life, the Vision identifies six key priorities for Slovakia in the coming years. These include reforming the state to make it more efficient, trustworthy and capable of serving the public interest; transforming the economy towards greater productivity, innovation and higher added value; investing more in education, skills and talent; strengthening preventive healthcare; fostering social cohesion; and improving resilience against a broad range of threats, including climate change, resource insecurity, food security, cyber risks and other crises that may affect the country’s stability and quality of life.

“Vision Slovakia 2040 is a long-term roadmap that defines where we want Slovakia to go so that everyone can enjoy a better quality of life. It is based on 10 key megatrends and future development scenarios that the country must adapt to. Slovakia does not have a single miracle industry that can transform the economy on its own. Instead, our strengths lie in our energy sector and our broad industrial base. Ultimately, however, the success of the Vision will depend not only on the quality of the document itself, but on whether its priorities are reflected in reforms and investments, and whether they are implemented consistently. Achieving this will require determination to make difficult decisions, broad agreement on the country’s direction, and the courage to turn the Vision into reality,” said Marek Radvanský, Vice President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences for Economy and Legislation.

Vision Slovakia 2040 is an independent, non-partisan and cross-sector strategic document prepared under the guarantee of the Slovak Academy of Sciences based on a government resolution. More than 350 experts from academia, business and civil society contributed to its development over six months. The Academy also organised a series of workshops, roundtable discussions and regional consultations with local governments, resulting in more than 2,300 comments that helped shape the final document. Experts from ministries, academia, business and civil society participated throughout the process, while members of the author team consulted with more than 150 stakeholders across all regions of Slovakia.

Prepared by: Jozef Bednár

Photo: Katarína Gáliková