Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of : Government adopts action plan “International Challenges 2013 – Partnership to Promote International Business of Slovenian Enterprises”

24. 1. 2013

Government adopts action plan "International Challenges 2013 - Partnership to Promote International Business of Slovenian Enterprises"

Ljubljana, 24 January 2013 - Today, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, at its session, adopted the action plan International Challenges 2013 - Partnership to Promote International Business of Slovenian Enterprises (IC 2013). The plan defines the key objectives and measures of the policy of promoting internationalization of Slovenian enterprises, drawing in foreign direct investments and the target sectors and target foreign markets. The purpose of this document is to provide an upgraded and overall review of measures and international activities of all the key institutions operating in the field of promoting international business of the Slovenian economy.

On 8 November 2012, the action plan International Challenges 2013 - Partnership to Promote International Business of Slovenian Enterprises (IC 2013) was approved by the Strategic Council for Foreign Economic Cooperation, headed by the Minister, responsible for economic development and technology, Radovan Žerjav, MSc; the Minister, responsible for foreign affairs, Karl Erjavec, also participates in the Council. Besides the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, other organisations acting in the field of economic cooperation with abroad took part in the preparation of the action plan IC 2013, namely Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Office of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investments (now known as SPIRIT Slovenia, public agency), bank SID, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia and the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce. 

Key objectives, defined in IC 2013, are:   
• coordinated activity of all government institutions in the field of international guidance and promotion of the Slovenian economy;
• increase the growth of Slovenian exports abroad;
• increase the number of entries of Slovenian enterprises in new foreign markets and increase the share of total exports in chosen priority markets;
• increase the number of exporters, especially in markets outside the former Yugoslavia and the European Union;
• increase the recognition of Slovenia as a location of opportunity for foreign investment and reduce barriers in the field of foreign investments;
• increase foreign direct investment in Slovenia to 33% of GDP

The chosen key foreign markets, to which Slovenia will focus its attention in 2013, are: Azerbaijan, India, Kazakhstan, China, the Russian Federation and Turkey. These markets demonstrate economic growth, are rising and developing and have, at the same time, economic sectors, where positive synergies with the Slovenian economy could occur. The chosen foreign markets do not interfere with the already-begun, foreseen and set activities in all other traditional markets (EU and the Balkans) as Slovenia will continue with these activities also in 2013. 

The action plan defines as the most perspective the following branches of the Slovenian economy:
• biomedicine and biotechnology,
• energy and environmental technologies,
• advanced materials and technologies and nanotechnology,
• information and communication technologies,
• wood-processing industry,
• automotive industry,
• transport and logistics,
• metal-processing industry,
• tourism,
• food industry.

For each country, the action plan especially underlines the economic sectors which have the potential for economic cooperation. 

The promotion of entering and operating in remote foreign markets, promotion in the first entry to foreign markets and the promotion of higher forms of internationalisation is crucial for promoting the competitiveness of the Slovenian enterprises in the chosen foreign markets in 2013. 

The action plan IC 2013 will also define the guidelines in the field of foreign direct investments. With the purpose of drawing in foreign direct investment, the Ministry is, together with the implementing agency, already implementing an active policy of promoting FDI. In the field of FDI, the following activities will be implemented in 2013: improving the business environment, investment projects, the establishment of one-stop shop agency, solving the problems of land and business zones, improve the recognition of Slovenia as a location for FDI, financial support to investment, promoting the expansion of existing foreign enterprises in Slovenia.