2nd Africa day in Slovenia
Ljubljana, May 8, 2013
Welcome address
Mr Stanislav Raščan, PhD,
Director-General of the Directorate for Economic Diplomacy
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia
Dear Mr Samo Hribar Milič
President and General Manager of the Camber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
Your Excellencies and representatives of the diplomatic missions,
Esteemed representatives of business and institutions,
Ladies and gentlemen.
First I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you on behalf of the Directorate for Economic Diplomacy of the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to thank the organisers for the invitation to the conference and congratulate them on the organisation of this international meeting.
I am confident it will provide useful and instructive information for both Slovenian companies,that are interested in business opportunities in the African market(s) as well as for the representatives of different Africancountriesthat are looking for new opportunities and business partners in the Slovenian market.
Slovenia is a very open, competitive and exportoriented country, and one that considers cooperation with the outside world crucial. Our economy is highly dependent on exports, which amount to some 70% of GDP. Exports were in the past, and remain the underlying driving force of the country`s sustainable and dynamic economic growth.
Diplomacy that promotes national economic interest and business in other countries is defined as economic diplomacy. It is associated with trade, business, market and investments. Economic diplomacy depicts how states conduct their economic relations with other countries by using political influence and promoting trade and investments to find a market for its products and services.
Mobilising Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into the country is among major activities of economic diplomacy. The same mix of issues comes up as with pushing exports: establishing credibility, finding the first breakthrough, cultivating potential investors from the target country, organising business delegations and taking part in investment promotion events.
Economic diplomacy is one of the top priorities of the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which therefore established already on 1 October 2009 the Directorate for Economic Diplomacy and thus acquired exclusive competence for the management of economic diplomacy.
Tasks and competences of the Directorate include activities in economic diplomacy, bilateral economic cooperation and economic promotion carried out within two of its departments. The two basic functions of the Department for Bilateral Economic Cooperation are the direction and the coordination of the Republic of Slovenia’s bilateral economic cooperation with third countries.
The two basic functions of the Department for Economic Promotion are to provide assistance to Slovenian companies when entering foreign markets and to stimulate the further internationalisation of the Slovenian economy with a view to increasing Slovenian exports and achieving better geographical diversification.
The basic task of the Directorate is therefore to ensure the efficient work of economic diplomacy through coordination and management within the broader system of Slovenian foreign policy. In this context, the Department cooperates with other government and non-government institutions dealing with the internationalisation of the Slovenian economy, especially with theSPIRIT Slovenia (Slovenian Public Agency for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Development, Investment and Tourism), being under the auspices of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology as well as with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, the Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia, Slovenian business clubs and also with the help of honorary consuls of the Republic of Slovenia abroad.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The global economic crisis has slowed down also Slovenias economy and the inflow of the Foreign Direct Investments. Following a decade of rapid growth of GDP, the economy has declined with the global recession.Slovenia has thus to find ways of getting back on a path of growth and is now set to resume sustainable economic growth.For an outward oriented economy, searching for new (emerging, fast growing) markets and new Foreign Direct Investments is a focal point of such consideration.
Today`s conference is therefore a part of an ongoing effort to inform and assist Slovenian companies in their efforts to go international and to reach the global markets. Export to the African market represents a bit less than 2% of the total Slovenian export, and the import a bit less than 1% of the total import. From this figures it is clear thatthere is a big potential for growth and I am convinced that there are many niches and sectors which deserve our attention and to which we could expand our cooperation.
Slovenian companies are recognizable in the field of engineering, machineries, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, automobile industry and logistics. Among priority sectors should be also mentioned information and communication technology, electronic and electro technical industry, food-processing industry and tourism.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am convinced that today’s meeting is an excellent opportunity to come up with new ideas and identify new business opportunities with a view to further strengthening economic ties between our countries. I wish you a very successful and productive discussions.