Slovenia to increase promotion of exports, investments

  • The government plans to increase funding for the promotion of exports and foreign investment. The goal is to make the economy “highly internationalised” by 2020, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said on Tuesday.

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    EUR 5m will be spent on the internationalisation programme this year and EUR 8m in 2017. Additionally, EUR 1m is budgeted for attracting foreign investors, surging to EUR 6.5m next year.

    Počivalšek said it was “warranted to dedicate so much attention to international issues,” which he said needed to be expanded.

    Slovenia’s economy is already heavily export-oriented but the country still has to do a lot to attract foreign investors.

    “We have to undertake structural reforms in three key areas to make our companies more successful abroad and make the country more attractive to FDI,” he said, singling out taxes, labour law and administrative obstacles.

    The overarching goal is to attract about EUR 400m-worth of foreign investments per year.

    Slovenia recently participated in a 13-country International Trade Centre (ITC) study examining investments in the promotion of exports.

    ITC official Jose A. Prunello said the analysis showed every dollar spent on the promotion of internationalisation generated 87 dollars in extra exports and has a multiplying effect on GDP of 384 dollars.

    Source: The Slovenia Times

    Photo: MGRT