On 10 May, the President of the Slovak Republic H.E Zuzana Čaputová arrived in Denmark for a two-day visit to building new partnerships and strengthening the bilateral relations. Besides meeting HRH Crown Prince Frederik and delivering a keynote at Copenhagen Democracy Summit, President Zuzana Čaputová, as a strong advocator for sustainability, climate action and the protection of biodiversity, dedicated the visit to gain insights from Denmark’s green transformation.

For decades, Denmark has focused on energy efficiency in buildings. Energy-efficient solutions are widely implemented in both new-built, renovated and retrofitted housing, offices and public institutions across the nation. As Slovakia is facing a complex task to renovate and prepare large parts of its urban areas for a more sustainable future, especially the implementation and efforts greener buildings was of particular interest for the visit.

To initiate the dialogue, Finn Mortensen, CEO of State of Green, therefore welcomed the President with a brief introduction to Denmark’s green transition at large. Hereafter, Deputy Director General at the Danish Energy Agency, Stig Uffe Pedersen, presented key learnings from Denmark’s experiences within energy efficiency and retrofitting strategies for buildings.

After the visit, President Čaputová highlighted Slovakia and Denmark’s shared interest in using the green transitions as a driver for growth:

"Green transition is one of Slovakia’s top priorities. Denmark is an inspiration for Slovakia not just for how to think and act green; but also how to turn this necessary and often costly transition into an opportunity for people and for businesses."

The President was accompanied by the Minister for Transport and Construction, Andrej Doležal, and a Slovakian green delegation. Amongst other, Norbert Kurrila, Advisor to the President for environment, energy, climate and business, who underlined what Slovakia and Denmark can learn from each other when it comes to climate action and protecting the environment:

“Climate action and the environment are common priorities. Sustainable, climate-friendly houses and buildings is an area which brings multiple benefits for people, economy and nature. Clean innovation and green technologies can drive economic growth decoupled from environmental degradation. Climate adaptation plays an important role too”.

Norbert Kurilla further expressed optimism of the potential to increase the industry collaboration within sustainable housing, urban development and green buildings between corporate partners from each country.