Message from Ambassadors

SLOVENIA: Country of Opportunities“Green, Creative and Smart”
in the Heart of Europe
Ana Polak Petrič (PhD)
Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to JapanThe area of Slovenia is 20,271 km2, close to the size of theisland of Shikoku, and its population is about 2 million.
Some are shy to say that Slovenia is a small country,
believing this would determine its political or economic
value and power. On the contrary, Slovenia’s size is its
biggest asset, as one can find on this small piece ofWorld’s land such diversity and beauties. Slovenia is wellknown for its preserved nature, as more than 60% of thecountry is covered with forest. Living and working withnature has been a hallmark of Slovenian culture forgenerations and we strive to keep it that way. Every visitor
is impressed by the variety of outdoor activities, such asskiing, biking and hiking. And all of this, makes Slovenia,
although small in size, such a great nation!
The ties between Slovenia and Japan are traditionallystrong and friendly, be it among citizens or in the politicalsphere. Although almost 10,000 km apart, there are many
similarities in the lifestyle of our citizens. “No shoesindoors!” is a must also in the Slovenian homes, common
is also love for buckwheat (soba) and honey.
Cooperation with Japan is extremely important for
Slovenia, as the same values, a diligent and highly
educated workforce, an investment-friendly environment
and the innovation driven minds connect us. In the past
years mutual respect and long-lasting friendship has
reflected in successful cooperation among the two states.

Common projects and cooperation are blooming in theeconomic and scientific field, Port Koper in Slovenia isbecoming increasingly interesting for Japanese transport
to Central Europe and we are exploring possibilities forfurther collaboration with Japan in the areas ofdigitalization, cyber security, high tech and artificial
intelligence. I am also proud to say that Slovenia is one of
the countries with the greatest number of projects andactivities in the implementation of Society 5.0.
However, I am convinced there is a big potential for
economic cooperation between Slovenian and Japanesecompanies, thus allow me to present some facts which
could inspire and contribute to more collaboration infuture.

Japan as Priority Economic Partner
Japan has been strategically a priority market for
Slovenian economy since 2015. Our trade exchange
has been stable and I am especially honored that thenumber of Japanese investments continue to increase
every year, especially in the areas that bring higher
added value. The Japanese investments have increased
for more than 10 times since 2013 and now account for
more than 360 mil. EUR. Actually, Japan is today oneof our most important and one of the largest investors

Dr. Ana Polak Petrič received her doctorate in law at New University,Slovenia in 2014. She had served as High Representative of Slovenia forSuccession Issues to the former SFRY at the Minister’s Cabinet, Ministryof Foreign Affairs of Slovenia. She has been assigned as the Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic Slovenia to Japan
since 2019.

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in Slovenia.
We are highly interested to further strengthen our
trade exchange and attract more Japanese investments inSlovenia, as we offer a stimulating and stable businessenvironment. Slovenian government is committed toimprove it even further with proactive reforms to create acompetitive, transparent, simple and investor-friendlyenvironment. As you may know, we have one of thelowest tax rates on corporate profits in the EU and manytax reliefs and incentives for investors, especially in theR&D field.

In the Heart of Europe
Slovenia’s excellent geostrategic position, at the heart ofEurope, is one of its obvious advantages that is beneficialto investors. As part of the EU market Slovenia may serve
as a springboard for overseas companies wanting to dobusiness in the EU or in the South-Eastern Europe or in
the countries of Eastern Europe. Slovenia has all attributes
needed to do business across the region: knowledge oflanguage, customs, and culture, as well as personalconnections.
Due to Slovenia’s excellent communication andtransport infrastructure, it is easy to access any part of theEU, as there are no border controls within the EU. I
believe this is a very strong benefit of my country.

Strong Export-Oriented Economy
Slovenia is a fast-growing export-oriented economy, withan export share of around 85% of the GDP. While services
provide most of the total value added, what sets Slovenia
apart is its share of industry; with more than 27% of thetotal value added it is the 3rd most industrialized EU
member state. Industry also accounts for 80% of private
investment in R&D. Slovenia has a performing economy
based on a sustained growth rate of 2.4% in 2019
(Consensus), low inflation, a large current account surplus(above 7% of GDP), and a fiscal surplus, as well as
declining sovereign debt. The economy is diversified andfits into the European production chain. Labor productivity
has increased from EUR 34,000 to more than EUR
44,000 over the last 10 years. Competitive corporation tax
rate – 8th lowest among EU members.

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Empowering Business: Green. Creative.
Smart.
Slovenia has a long tradition of combining experienceand knowledge with innovation, creative thinking, andcare for the environment. That is why, under the messageof empowering business: “Green. Creative. Smart”,
Slovenia is emerging as a pioneer in environmentallyfriendly innovation and creativity – three key factors
behind Slovenia’s impressive economic development andsuccess.
By being Green, Slovenia develops technicalinnovations that prioritize taking responsibility for future
generations. That is why, despite its size, Slovenia is thethird EU country in the field of eco-innovations and has
doubled its investment in sustainable development.
What’s more, Slovenia’s socially responsible economy isamong the best in the world in terms of environmental
health and ecosystem vitality.
By being Creative, Slovenia has a talent for creating
value, recognizing the importance of nurturing creativity
as a tool for solving the most pressing issues facing theworld today. That is why Slovenia is a leading Central
European country in patent registration. And the 32nd
most innovative country globally. And why Sloveniancompanies’ R&D investment ranks at EU-28 average,
resulting in technologically advanced products andsolutions best suited to the needs of the future.
By being Smart, Slovenia ensures its solutions areglobally competitive. That is why Slovenia is the leading
country in cross-border trade worldwide. It is also whysustainable and innovative Slovenian automotive
components are integrated into basically every Europeanvehicle. And why Slovenia was placed 5th by OECD for
smart products delivered daily by the Slovenian digitaland robot-intensive economy.

Skilled and Efficient Workforce
Slovenian workforce in industry sector is highly
productive and therefore has best price performance inthe region. The composition of active labor force in
Slovenia shows that 34.6% have a university degree and65% have finished secondary school. Slovenia’s
technically minded workers have a high work ethic, aconsensual approach to work as well as being loyal totheir employers and reluctant to change jobs, all of which
are regarded as key factors of stability.

A typical Slovenian is computer literate and speaks
two or more foreign languages. A cutting edge ofSlovenian workforce is its command of foreign languages.
International studies rank Slovenians at the European top.
92% of population can communicate in at least one world
language and 67% of Slovenians speak well enough tohold a conversation in two foreign languages.

Slovenia’s Champions in Sport – Championsin Business
Another passion which unites Slovenia and Japan is –sports. Both nations are devoted to active life and there ison-going and long-lasting collaboration between teams,
athletes and federations. For both countries Tokyo2020
Olympic Games were the most successful summer games
ever and we hope to achieve the same also at the upcoming
Paralympic Games. After Tokyo2020 Olympic Games,
many Japanese became true fans of basketball player
Luka Dončić, sports climber Janja Garnbret and cyclists
Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič, all of them extraordinary
athletes from Slovenia. We hope that also through sports,
Japanese will recognize Slovenia, its culture, beauties andheritage.
Besides extraordinary athletes, Slovenia has alsotop-notch companies developing technical innovations
prioritizing the responsibility for future generations
through improved productivity, sustainability, andresilience. Slovenian companies are leaders in certain
specific areas in high-tech and niche technologies for
instance in Automotive industry in high-end titanium
exhaust, in the production of diesel cold-start systems orin the production of gas springs for automotive industry.
In the Aerospace sector we are pioneers in lightaviation, using electric flight and pursuing extreme aeroefficiency or in the specialized, fixed wing small
Unmanned Aircraft Systems. In the Electrical equipment
industry, Slovenian companies are world No. 1 in thebiomass combustion controller market and in thecommercial vacuum-cleaner motor segment.
Slovenian long industrial tradition in the Machining
and fabricated metal products industry have produced
a global leader in the field of logging winches andfirewood processors and one of the world leaders inmanufacturing of crankshaft processing machines forpassenger cars and trucks as well as one of the 10 largest
producers of industrial knives.
The innovative Slovenian ecosystem is evident also

in the ICT sector. You may find companies providing top
solutions for control systems for particle accelerators andproton therapy, in the enterprise labelling software
business, focused on manufacturing and supply chains,and for instrumentation for measuring elementary beam
particles in accelerators, as well as the first UNESCO
International Artificial Intelligence Research Centre
established at the Jozef Stefan institute in Ljubljana,
Slovenia.
To conclude with Biotechnology, Sloveniancompanies are among leading firms in the field ofinnovative healthcare and lifestyle solutions based on
preventive genetic testing and in the commercial
production of Cellulose Nano Crystals and production ofbacteriophages.
Knowledge and experience of Slovenian companies
in all above-mentioned industries offer multiple
opportunities for potential Japanese partners.
In 2021 Slovenia is acting as the Presidency of the Councilof the EU and in 2022 Slovenia and Japan will celebrate
the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. I am
convinced that these events and many others will serve tofoster already excellent and vibrant relations between our
two friendly nations.
There are also many opportunities to strengthen ourpartnership in the economic and scientific fields, as
together we can more successfully face the futurechallenges and use the technology for the benefit of ourpeople. This ultimately should be the core of all ourefforts for a better and brighter tomorrow.
More info about FDI in Slovenia at:https://www.investslovenia.org/
お問い合わせJOI 事業企画部
E-mail: bd@joi.or.jp、TEL:03-5210-3311

駐日スロべニア共和国大使館
E-mail: sloembassy.tokyo@gov.si
URL: http://www.tokyo.embassy.si/index.php?id=48&L=112021.945