An economist's subconscious association with Lučenec is the riches of non-ore deposits. It not only conceals an economic future of Novohrad and Gemer regions, it is also a sign of the first Slovak-Hungarian transfrontier co-operation outcome in the South Slovakian Basin area.

The transfrontier co-operation scenario, dictated by the west European experience and analogies, is simple: an acknowledgement of the state border as a dividing line drawn only on a map. How simple this spells out was proven by the two companies Žiarmont Kalinovo and Slovak Magnezite Works in Jelšava, that have successfully expanded their south Slovakia market territories to include northern Hungary. Their business and territorial expansion reflects not only an initiative fed by motivation, it is also paving way for a potential entry of other 30 companies engaged in the non-ore deposits processing.

Yet the purpose of this breakthrough is not a separate dominant position in the adjacent borderland, it is rather an economic link between companies on both sides of the state border. The co-operation link potential is represented by idle resources of non-ore deposits of the Lučenec, Rimavská Sobota, Poltár, and Revúca districts. The immediate response to this potential is a co-operation in developing an infrastructure required for the raw material processing, supported by an advanced base of research, education, processing and marketing.

Apart from the wealth of the regional resources the region also has many years of tradition in ceramics, refractory materials, glass and building materials production. Nevertheless it is chronically lacking investment capital as a vital condition for a U-turn expecting to replace the economic deterioration of the southern Slovakian districts by the prosperity.

"All the area potential inputs can be generically specified as a unique phenomenon in the silicate industry of Central Europe," said Ing. Alexander Molnár, CSc., Slovak Silicate Association vice chairman. "The economic development based in a complex picture of production, services and research of the non-ore deposits is not only a regional economic alternative, but also an opportunity to set up a major production centre. To this end we plan to enter into co-operation with leading investors in the field of non-ore deposit processing."

This global approach is a result of integrated interests of entrepreneurs, state administration and local governments to bravely tap the idle regional potential and shape it into a developed industrial region. They expressed their strategic plans in a set of development activities with the establishment of the silicate economic zone playing the key role.

According to the expert opinions the silicate industry development is conditioned by an establishment of a special zone, encompassing not only human and financial potential but also interest of the state authorities providing government guarantees, legislative qualification, economic motivation tools, stimuli for investors, and preferences for entrepreneurs. A decisive solution will be drawn this year at the September international congress that will launch the regional silicate economy zone initiative in scope beyond the Novohrad and Gemer territories.

The future project will draw on an adjacent Hungarian borderland example, where a similar economic zone has already been established. The Hungarian frontier is also anticipated as a potential foreign investor supporting raw material exploitation and marketing, as well as sales of semi- and finished products for processing industry.

It is an indisputable fact that this region presently concentrates by far the largest Slovak-Hungarian project of regional co-operation. The rich raw material capacity, unparalleled in Slovakia, are rating this project as a top regional development activity ever. The silicate economic zone thus represents a pillar of the Slovak-Hungarian transfrontier economy for the next millennium.

Slovak Trade FORUM