Slovenia sells 15 state-owned companies - PM Alenka Bratusek invites Serbian companies to participate in tenders

(Danijela Fisakov, Alenka Bratusek, Zeljko Sertic and Ivica Dacic)

Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek said today that Slovenia was selling 15 state-owned companies, adding that investors from Serbia were welcome to bid for them.

She said at the Serbian-Slovenian Business Conference in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce that the process of selling aforementioned companies was completely transparent.

According to her, the sale of Slovenia's Fructal to Serbia's Nectar represents a good experience for both countries.

Bratusek noted that the relations between the two countries were excellent, adding that the cooperation between Serbia and Slovenia was traditionally good. She also pointed out that Slovenia's experience would help Serbia on its path to the EU.

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said that the topic for discussion with the Slovenian business delegation would be the steps to take to provide Serbia with greater opportunities for investment in Slovenian companies.

Serbian PM said that there were many opportunities for joint cooperation in the field of energy, transportation, information technologies, tourism, and agriculture.

He added that Slovenia ranked among the top 10 countries in total trade with Serbia, adding that Slovenia had invested EUR 1.4 billion in Serbia to date.

Dacic noted that the value of trade between Serbia and Slovenia ranged between 800 and 900 million euros per year, stressing that it could be much bigger.

All present members of government delegations and businessmen were also welcomed by President of the Slovenian Business Club Danijela Fisakov.

She underlined that Serbia ranked second in the value of Slovenian investments abroad, pointing out that Slovenian companies were feeling good in Serbia and were interested in concluding new deals.

Zeljko Sertic, president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, said that third markets represented a chance for Serbia, citing the Feniks consortium comprising 40 companies from Slovenia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as a great example.

Sertic added that a large number of companies from Slovenia operated in Serbia, while the list of Serbian companies in Slovenia included only Nectar, Comtrade and Beohemija from Zrenjanin. Sertic pointed to a big disparity in the level of investment as Serbia had so far invested about USD 100 million in Slovenia, whereas the value of Slovenian investments in Serbia was estimated at about EUR 1.4 billion.

The business conference in the SCC, organized as part of the visit of the Slovenian prime minister to Serbia, gathered the managers of successful companies from Serbia and Slovenia, who had a chance to define activities related to concrete business plans through direct talks with ministers and prime ministers of the two countries.