The accession to the European Union represents a unique historical chance and an existential necessity, which, from the standpoint of national and state interests, has no reasonable alternative. The elaboration of an initial study on the economic and social contexts of Slovakia's accession to the EU is an organic part of the successful endeavour to catch up with the first group of candidate countries. It was elaborated by the Institute of Slovak and World Economy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences on the basis of Governmental Resolution No. 248 of 13 March 2002. A section of the Institute's capacity paid attention to research on theoretical issues and the actual course of the integration process in the EU, as well as certain implications related to Slovakia, already in the previous years.

The preparation of the present study, however, required that the focus of analytical attention be shifted to a relatively comprehensive national economic assessment of the relevant economic and social aspects of Slovakia's accession to the EU, identification of its strengths and weaknesses from this standpoint and the approximate quantification of the anticipated effects and costs. To meet this demanding goal, it was necessary to substantially extend the subject of exploration to include a number of new issues; update the results of previous researches; collect and, in accordance with the chosen methodological approach, recast and synthesise information from individual ministries' background documentation; involve the necessary scope of external authors and institutions in the elaboration of a number of topics; incorporate the results of researches on the readiness and expectations of the enterprise sphere; and, to take into account information acquired through talks with representatives of the Association of Industrial Unions, Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Trade Unions and the Confederation of Employer Unions and Associations, as well as from the discussion at the seminar on the preliminary results of the study being prepared. The basic goal of the present study was to elaborate relatively comprehensive scientific arguments on economic and social contexts explaining the existential necessity of Slovakia's political and strategic direction to the EU. At the same time, it attempts to provide a balanced view of both the benefits and risks.

On the one hand, it identifies certain potential problems and probable, in particular initial time limited risks, the reduction or elimination of which will require attention already in the preparatory period. On the other hand, it explains a wide range of benefits, the rational utilisation of which will give a guarantee of clear long-term advantageousness of Slovakia's integration to the EU. The following partial goals, focused on specific advancement in knowledge and applicability in the economic, political, as well as general social pre-accession practice, were subordinated to the aforementioned basic goal:
· unveil the existing disparities in Slovakia's economy compared with the EU at the macroeconomic, sectoral and branch levels and explain the key importance of increasing competitiveness;