COMPETITIVENESS AND CHEMICAL INDUSTRY IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Abstract

The main objective of the contribution is to analyze the development and trends of chemical industry and also to identify potential opportunities and threats determining the competitiveness of this field. It deals with selected risk areas incorporating chiefly the expenditures on research and development, the legislative development after entering into the EU, environmental protection, security and health protection at work, ecology, the “gas crisis”, economic crisis, impacts of introducing the uniform European currency and, at the same time, the expenditures on the innovative advancement of the Slovak industry. In an attempt to maintain the competitiveness of the chemical industry and its products it is necessary to monitor continually the situation influencing the development of this field, demand for chemical products, behaviour of the market and consumers, and also the action of competitive firms. The contribution refers to the importance of the society´s and individual´s responsible approach to the key problems of chemical industry.