In the Slovak Republic, brownfield and greenfield issues are ones that head the discussion in terms of the level of environmental protection and how that dictates the inflow of foreign investments. In Europe there is distinct contrast in understanding the definition of “brownfields.” There is a difference of understanding between countries of West Europe and Scandinavian countries. These differences are probably seen by various national priorities—priorities that are the result of two key statistics: density of population and competitiveness.

Brownfield renewal issues in the Slovak Republic are closely associated to the transformation process of the Slovak economy—from a planned (socialist) economy to a market economy, at the end of the last century. After the transformation process, there was a significant level of agricultural areas emerging as well as old industrial areas, including manufacturing plants and buildings.

A brownfield mapping process and other facts allows us to divide brownfields into the following: industrial brownfields; military brownfields (the result of the demilitarization process); agricultural brownfields (abandoned buildings of past cooperative farms); administrative brownfields; institutional brownfields; recreational centers; cultural brownfields; and residential brownfields.

The renewal of brownfields is a difficult process. There is missing information about the levels of contamination and it is difficult to assign an amount of potential penalty (liability) for contamination present. Investments into brownfields are associated with potential of excessive risks. We can assign quality of risks but assigning of financial influence of brownfields is difficult. Based on this knowledge a lot of investors prefer construction on greenfields.

Missing data
In Slovakia, there is no comprehensive brownfield database, however, there is an active approach and new progress in the mapping of the brownfield process. First, we need to make quality brownfield research (mapping) and choose the good brownfield locations for potential investment purposes. After this step, we have to make environmental audits, and based on an audit’s results we can then assign the necessary financial capital to begin the revitalization process. The priority of the Slovak Republic is to support removing environmental loads and quality revitalization process of brownfields using financial sources not only from state budget but from Structural Funds EU and potential foreign and domestic investors.

In the past, brownfield issues were marginally addressed and in the framework of other projects, usually on local or regional levels in Slovakia. However, results from international experiences had concluded that the most appropriate way of comprehensively solving brownfield issues is on the state level. One of the priorities of the Slovak economic policy is to prepare investment activities through the use of brownfields.

It is the hope in the Slovak Republic that reusing brownfields will reinforce vitality, performance and competitiveness of Slovak towns and cities, and help eliminate using agricultural land for building purposes.

The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic in cooperation with its own Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) started a brownfield mapping process in 2008 in Slovakia. A brownfield database is being viewed as a good tool for making local policies on the regional level, and will serve for realization of aims and identification of revitalization plans on uniform classification and comparative levels.

Evaluating analysis result will help identify size and type of necessary revitalization, assigning priorities and objectives in the revitalization process and renewal utilization of brownfields. We plan to prepare a comprehensive brownfield strategy because there is not the same position in the revitalization process for all villages, towns and cities. There are various differences in opportunities and approaches in the brownfield problem solving effort (growing cities with appropriate infrastructures and attractive geographic locations have another position than small villages and towns, which are out of industrial and economic zones—or they are out of strategic location where development occurs very slowly).

We hope that reusing brownfields will reinforce vitality, performance and competitiveness of Slovak towns and cities, and will help to eliminate using agricultural land for building purposes. Based on analysis results, information from the brownfield database and the experiences from other countries we also will be able to prepare a national revitalization brownfield strategy with the main objectives being to: decrease brownfields numbers; decrease use of agricultural land for building on greenfields; increase environmental protection by elimination of environmental loads; stabilize sources and the creation of a financial framework; creation of communication platforms; decrease regional disparities; the attraction of foreign direct investments; and new instructions for preventing of new brownfields.

We hope that planned activities will help make for a better environment in terms of ecological and business activities in Slovakia and will help attract new foreign investments. Slovakia is changing its own face from a production and assembly country to a more sophisticated R&D country with a very good geographic location in the center of Europe. Brownfield revitalization will contribute to emerging new opportunities for business investments in Slovakia.

Katarína Kysel’ová is with the University of Košice, Faculty of Metallurgy, Košice, Slovakia. Vladimír Švač is with the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency.