Slovakia was long held to be the slowlearner in the transition because of its difficult start in 1993. Yet, since its independence and to everyone’s surprise, Slovakia has successfully put in place the institutions necessary to the life of a nation ; what is more, economically speaking, Slovakia is a real success story (foreign investment is rising while inflation and unemployment are on the decline). These achievements were crowned, in early 2009, by Slovakia’s inclusion in the single European currency.