GEOGRAPHICAL ASPECTS OF EAST EUROPE OPENI NG (CASE-STUDY - SLOVAK REPUBLIC)

Political change, in 1989, confronted the Slovak Republic with a set o f economic and social problems that where, in 1993, intensified by the division of Czechoslovakia into two independent states: the Czech and Slovak Republics. In Slovakia the fall of socialism triggered transfo rmation processes and the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, accompanied by numerous problems connected also w ith the creation of the new independent state. This paper mainly deals with geographical aspects of transformation processes in society and points out geographically relevant problems as well as advantages of t he new situation in society and economy. The analysis of the advantage s is based on the geographical and gee-political position of Slovakia within Central Europe between highly developed West-European countries with a highly advanced technology, and East-European countries offeri ng prospective markets and raw materials. Moreover there is an increas ingly modernized infrastructure, and relatively cheap and qualified la bour is available in Slovakia. On the other hand, this analysis of a s election of economic and socio-geographical phenomena of the economic transformation of Slovakia also displays some problems, the causes of which stem from the socialist past; a relatively rapid formation of a market environment, the society's not being in the knowing as to the i ntroduction of systemic changes, unforeseen developments or erroneous anticipations as to reforms, both spatially and temporarily, and an un expected impact of negative effects of the reform on specific social g roups.