Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic

Expertise:
•    Economic reform and transformation

Ivan Mikloš is currently the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic (since July 2010). His political career started in early 90-ties, when he became Minister of Privatization. Since then he was one of the leading figures of economic transformation in Slovakia. He co-founded a think-tank MESA10. In 1998 he became Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and in 2002 Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic. Ivan Mikloš significantly contributed to the entry of SR into the OECD and started an extensive and effective tax reform. Under his leadership Slovakia jumped to 32nd place (of 178 economies) on the ease of doing business index. He led the government agenda on economic restructuring and fiscal consolidation. The second Dzurinda´s government (2002-2006) gained a very reformist reputation thanks to severe austerity measures, and a comprehensive program of socio-economic reforms (tax, social sector, pension, healthcare, school financing) backed by Ivan Mikloš. Slovakia became NATO and EU member in 2004, and the project to join EURO started in 2005. In 2004 he was awarded by Euromoney the best Minister of Finance of the Year and the top business reformer by the World Bank´s Doing Business report. Ivan Mikloš  -  the author of  the Book of reforms (2005) or Rewriting the Rule (2001) is also an author of dozens of studies and articles in the expert and popular press. During 2006-2010 Ivan Miklos was an opposition MP for the Slovak Democratic Christian Union.