Slovakia at a glance

Surface area: 49 030 km²
Population: 5 411 062 (Eurostat 2009)
Joined the European Union: 1 May 2004
Currency: Euro since 1 January 2009 (formerly Slovak koruna SKK) .

Euro information

Status: Euro-area member since 1 January 2009. 
The Slovak koruna joined the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) on 28 November 2005. On 8 July 2008 the Council gave its green light to the adoption of the euro by Slovakia on 1 January 2009.

Fixed conversion rate: €1 = 30.1260 SKK

Adoption of the euro: Slovakia adopted a "big-bang" scenario , with euro cash introduced on the same day that  the euro beame the country's new currency (1 January 2009), and a short dual circulation period running until 16 January 2009 where cash payments will be possible in both euro and Slovak korunas.

Exchange of former national currency:

• At commercial banks until 30 June 2009 for Slovak koruna coins and until 31 December 2009 for Slovak koruna notes. The exchange will be free of charge until 19 January 2009. After 19 January 2009 amounts exceeding 100 notes or coins could be subject to charges.
• At the National Bank of Slovakia, free of charge, until 31 December 2013 for Slovak koruna coins and without time limit for Slovak koruna notes.

Dual display of prices: Display of prices in both euro and Slovak koruna is mandatory from 8 August 2008 to 31 December 2009, but can be continued, on a voluntary basis, until 30 June 2010.

Euro hotline: 0800 103104

Documents and publications

Practical preparations

• National Euro Changeover Plan for the Slovak Republic – Update (April 2008, also in English )
• National Euro Changeover Plan for the Slovak Republic – Update (March 2007, also in English )
• Decree on dual display of prices (June 2008, also in English )
• Act on the introduction of the euro in the Slovak Republic (2008 - includes all the decrees and commentaries relevant to the act)
• Communication strategy on euro introduction in Slovakia (October 2007, also in English )
• Other documents (National Bank of Slovakia)

EU official documents

• Ninth report on the practical preparations for the future enlargement of the euro area. COM(2009) 692 final
• Eighth report on the practical preparations for the future enlargement of the euro area. COM(2008) 843 final
• Seventh report on the practical preparations for the future enlargement of the euro area [53 KB] . COM(2008) 480 final and Annex [103 KB]
• 2008 Convergence Report on Slovakia COM(2008) 248 final, also published as European Economy, No. 3/2008 [5 MB]
• Convergence Report 2008 (European Central Bank, also in Slovak )
• Change in the central rate of the Slovak koruna in the Exchange Rate Mechanism II (ERM II) [59 KB] (28 May 2008)
• Change in the central rate of the Slovak koruna in the Exchange Rate Mechanism II (ERM II) [11 KB] (16 March 2007)
• Slovak koruna included in the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) [59 KB] (25 November 2005)

Publications

• Publications for consumers
• Publications for enterprises
• An assessment of the potencial effects of the euro changeover on Slovakia’s business sector

Press releases

• Slovakia joins the euro  IP/08/2007 of 18 December 2008 and further press releases)      
  
• Commission welcomes Council approval of Slovakia's euro adoption (IP/08/1113 of 08/07/2008)
• Commission proposes Slovakia joins euro area in 2009 (IP/08/715 of 07/05/2008)

Opinion polls and surveys

• Flash Eurobarometer 259 Euro introduction in Slovakia. Ex-post citizen survey (March 2009)
• Flash Eurobarometer 255 Dual circulation period in Slovakia (March 2009)
• Flash Eurobarometer 249 Introduction of the euro in Slovakia (November 2008)
• Flash Eurobarometer 240 Survey among Slovak enterprises (June 2008)
• Flash Eurobarometer 237 (May 2008)
  Summary [18 KB]
• Flash Eurobarometer 214 (November 2007)
  Summary [17 KB]
• Flash Eurobarometer 207 (May 2007)
  Summary [18 KB]
• Flash Eurobarometer 191 (November 2006)
  Short summary [14 KB]
• Flash Eurobarometer 183 (June 2006)
• Flash Eurobarometer 175 (November 2005)
• Flash Eurobarometer 165b (October 2004)

Downloads

• National sides of Slovak euro coins

Websites

Euro portals

• Zavedenie eura na Slovensku (national website on the introduction of the euro , also in English)

Institutions

• Splnomocnenec vlády SR pre zavedenie eura (Plenipotentiary of the Slovak government for the introduction of the euro)
• Národná banka Slovenska (National Bank of Slovakia, also in English)
• Ministerstvo financií SR (Slovak Ministry of Finance, also in English)
• Úrad vlády Slovenskej republiky (Slovak Republic Government Office, also in English)
• Mincovňa Kremnica (Slovak mint, also in English and German)

Business

• Euro section on Slovenská sporiteľňa website
• Slovenská obchodná a priemyselná komora (Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also in English)
• Euro Info Centres in Slovakia

Consumers

• Združenie slovenských spotrebiteľov, ZSS (Association of Slovak Consumers)