Priorities

I am a Central European. I have never masked it and I am not saying it to hide my national identity, but because in this global world, I believe in this idea. I am convinced that the region of Central Europe is not only a formal conglomerate of states artificially created by politicians, but a functional and vital whole with a common history, culture...but also with common economic goals. I am convinced that also relatively small states can "raise their voice" and win their interests within Europe as long as they find "neighbours" with identical interests and problems.

From my point of view, the question of belonging to this regional whole also corresponds with the conviction that nationalism as it is contains no logic and when we extract for instance economic, cultural and sport fragments from it, it neither has any sense. But there are always people who can parasitize on it for marketing.

In 2001, the company Slovnaft, a.s. has become a member of a distinguished Central european oil and gas group MOL, which is the fastest growing consortium in this area of industry. That, at the same time was a milestone in both the development of the refinery and my personal life. The entry of MOL into Slovnaft did not only mean a change in the shareholders' structure, but also a progressive growth backed by massive investments into the company's modernisation. In 2004, for instance, a high capacity hydrogenation unit (HRP 7) was put into service and in 2005, a new strategic polypropylene production unit started to operate. The operation of HRP 7 with a daily capacity of 5 880 tons of deeply desulphurized components has significantly strenghtened the position of MOL Group on the Eruopean diesel production market. This progress, even at a price of high investments, for me personally means an engine that keeps me in motion, because I realize well that we are one of the most up-to-date refineries in Europe and that the mentioned investments are gradually returning through higher outputs and growth of revenues. As a member of the Board of MOL and Chairman of the Board of slovnatf I fully realize my mission and responsibility within the group not only from the Central European point of view, but also globally. The MOL Group namely employs thousands of people on three continents and in 30 countries of the world. Daily, we serve a million of customers on our gas stations in Europe. I am proud of all this success of the company I am a part of.

A senseful fulfillment of the idea of "Central Europeanship" for me does not only mean development of economic activities, but also building up the vision of an open society without complexes that deform us. The Central European Foundation personifies and supports all values that I personally find important: Support of talented children and youth, progressive projects in the educational system, support of culture abroad, communal economic development and strenghtening of the civil society. I am convinced that the Foundation's money has so far been invested well and into the future of the whole country and region. For me personally, this domain is a priority.