Improving the business environment, enhancing transparency and the efficiency of the system have been companies’ key priorities in recent years. Increasingly more companies in Slovakia are becoming interested in these themes, which is also attested to by the fact that the Fund for Transparent Slovakia has taken on seven new members – Skanska SK, a.s., Profesia, Websupport, Honeywell, Union, Kaufland Slovenská republika, O2 Slovensko. This is what representatives of the companies said in relation to the issues of transparent society and corruption.

“Seven companies joined the Fund at the Business Leaders Forum in 2012. Altogether it currently unites twenty-three strong, decent companies. And we are ready to welcome any company which would like to contribute to Slovakia becoming a transparent country,” says Lenka Surotchak, the director of Pontis Foundation, which is the administrator of the Fund for Transparent Slovakia.

We must support systematic improvements

Ján Cifra, CEO of Websupport, is convinced that doing business in a transparent and open society is easier: “Websupport would like to contribute to the systematic improvement of the business environment in Slovakia. The organizations, which are supported by the Fund, are doing an incredibly good job in revealing and pointing out Slovakia’s current problems, which helps the society move forward. Transparency should be part of any mature, democratic society, which we would like to help create in Slovakia.”

The labour market needs transparent solutions too

Profesia is also one of the companies whose values are very close to the Fund. The company’s director Ivana Molnárová said, “Profesia’s values particularly include fairness and transparency in relation to the users of our website, the companies which post job offers on it, the suppliers and the employees. We decided to support the Fund for Transparent Slovakia because we believe that if Slovakia is transparent, new jobs will be created, and employers will have a more transparent approach to their employees.”

Indifference goes hand in hand with corruption

Honeywell is one of the 100 most successful American companies according to the Fortune magazine. Nina Aleksieva, the director of the Slovak subsidiary, views the Fund as a means of fight against indifference. “Companies, corporations, sole traders, and employees should not be indifferent to the world around them. It is the indifference which provides a fertile ground for corruption. By supporting the Fund, we are saying no to indifference and making clear what our views and values are.”