The European Union currently consists of 28 member states. Although each member joined the EU under different conditions, one of the most noteworthy memberships is the case of Slovakia. Even though Slovakia is a relatively small country with an independence history of only 26 years, Slovakia managed to comply with the EU guidelines and gain EU membership. One of the most noteworthy changes undertaken by Slovakia was the industrial reform of the country, especially this relating to the automotive industry, which led to the transformation of Slovakian economy into one of the most dynamic of the euro-area. This paper aims to examine both how Slovakia managed to navigate several events in the 20th and 21st century so as to gain its independence, and foremost, how Slovakia successfully adapted in the European integration model, thus becoming able to compete against other larger national economies which have a significantly longer history in the EU.