BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 18. The Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport of Slovenia will also this year participate in Slovenia’s largest craft fair, the International Craft Fair (MOS), Trend reports.
Through its participation, the ministry aims to present, in an interactive and engaging way, the measures adopted by the ministry and its constituent bodies for businesses and individuals.
Minister Matjaž Han addressed attendees at the opening of the MOS fair: “There are two reasons why external disturbances strongly disrupt business in Slovenia: the country is highly export-oriented and, in addition, a heavily industrialized nation. These two characteristics are our strength in good times, but unfortunately, they change significantly during periods of risk and challenges. And now we are living in such challenging times,” he explained. At the same time, he highlighted that not everything is negative: “The most positive economic indicator recently is the growth of investments.”
He outlined the ministry’s efforts to attract larger investments to Slovenia, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. He also emphasized that the ministry has prepared this year an extensive economic support package worth nearly 650 million euros, including over 334 million euros in grants and 314 million euros in repayable support in the form of loans, guarantees, and venture capital.
“Of course, financial incentives alone are not enough to address today’s challenges. We urgently need to respond to the decline in our competitiveness,” he added, highlighting issues such as tax policy, lengthy spatial planning procedures, and administrative barriers.
He concluded by presenting the ministry’s initiatives in development and innovation: “What can truly propel us forward is the development of new technologies, innovative products, and integration into evolving value chains. We are working on this at multiple levels.” He introduced the upcoming STEP call worth 60 million euros to support the development and production of strategic technologies, measures to develop Slovenia’s start-up ecosystem, and major projects of common European interest involving Slovenian companies.