Europe’s Competitiveness at the Centre of Discussion

The Slovak-German Economic Forum will address the changing conditions of the global economy. It will take place on 23 September 2026 at BASE Jurkovičova tepláreň in Bratislava under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. The forum is organised by the Slovak-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Slowakei).

The conference will seek answers to the question of how Slovakia and Germany can strengthen their competitiveness in a period of geopolitical change, technological transformation and growing pressure on productivity. It is based on the conviction that future competitiveness will depend not on a single sector, but on the ability to connect innovation across the economy. Alongside industrial innovation, artificial intelligence, digitalisation and sustainability, it will therefore also open a discussion on healthcare as one of the prerequisites for long-term economic growth.

The discussion will bring together perspectives from business, the public sector and the professional community. Speakers at the forum will include representatives of the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, experts from academia and research, as well as representatives of leading international companies operating at regional and European levels. Companies from various sectors will provide a business perspective – from the automotive and mechanical engineering industries through information technology, energy and healthcare to legal services. The companies represented will include Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bosch Connected Industry, Deutsche Telekom IT Solutions Slovakia, Kinstellar, Roche Slovensko, Schaeffler Slovakia, Siemens Slovakia, Volkswagen Slovakia and many others. This combination of perspectives will enable competitiveness to be discussed not only from the viewpoint of individual sectors, but also in a broader economic and social context.

The specialist programme will be divided into two thematic areas linked by a shared question – how to turn innovation into higher productivity and long-term economic growth. The first will focus on the practical use of artificial intelligence, robotics and cloud technologies in industry. The second will address healthcare and its impact on society's economic growth, as well as the need to better align budgetary, reimbursement and decision-making mechanisms with the pace of medical innovation, with the aim of ensuring rapid and equitable patient access to effective treatment.
Rising energy prices, pressure on production efficiency and new regulatory requirements are also changing the way businesses approach sustainability. It is increasingly becoming a matter of economic efficiency and long-term competitiveness. The afternoon session of the conference will address precisely this development, with Ahrend, Bayer, Evonik, Jungheinrich, Kaufland, Knauf Insulation, Siemens, Siemens Energy, Volkswagen Slovakia and ZSE presenting their experiences. Their sectoral diversity – from energy, industry and construction through logistics to retail – will demonstrate how smart technologies, more efficient processes and cross-sector collaboration can reduce costs while strengthening business competitiveness.

The institutional partners of the Slovak-German Economic Forum are the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bratislava and the German Eastern Business Association (Ost-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft). The conference partners also include BMB Partners, Dallmayr, dm drogerie markt, Horváth & Partner Management Consulting, MAN Truck & Bus Slovakia, MEGGLE Slovakia, Oberbank and Slovak Telekom.

Registration for the Slovak-German Economic Forum is open. Those interested can find detailed information about the event, the full programme and the registration form here.