Slovakia's dynamic growth has depended mainly on export-oriented manufacturing FDI, located largely in western Slovakia; the central and eastern part of the country is lagging behind. Government debt has risen sharply since the 2009 global crisis and is now running into constitutional debt ceilings. Indeed, it is too high to allow automatic stabilisers to work. The short-term economic recovery will depend on the improvement of euro area confidence, which will be necessary to finance investments in a context of fiscal restraint. In the longer term, structural reforms in the public sector and to raise growth in the lagging regions will be needed.