Economy of Slovenia

Ljubljana – Slovenia exported goods in the value of EUR 3.5 billion in July, or 17.3% more than in the same month last year, while imports, also totalling EUR 3.5 billion, were up by 26%. The imports-to-exports coverage was 98.9%, as a EUR 40 million trade deficit was recorded in July, the Statistics Office reported on Thursday.

Ljubljana, 9 August – Slovenia exported EUR 3.3 billion in goods in June, which is 21% more year-on-year, while imports were up by 30.6% to EUR 3.4 billion, the Statistics Office reported on Monday.

In June, a deficit in trade was recorded for a third month in a row, standing at EUR 100 million, with exports covering imports at a rate of 97.5%.

London – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has upgraded by 1.5 percentage points its GDP growth forecast for Slovenia in 2021 to 5%. The institution expects that Slovenia’s economy will expand by a further 4% next year.

Ljubljana – Fortenova, a group based in Croatia’s Zagreb, published on Wednesday a takeover bid for the remaining 724,764 shares of Slovenian retail group Mercator it does not already own. It is offering to pay EUR 36 per share in cash.

The bid is open for 29 days, that is until 23 June, unless it is extended, the group said in the Slovenian newspaper Delo on Wednesday.

Dubai – Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek met Emirati Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber in Abud Dhabi on Monday as he started an official visit to the United Arab Emirates. The pair agreed that bilateral cooperation could improve and expressed support for such efforts, the Economy Ministry said.

Ljubljana – A virtual AmCham Slovenia business breakfast on Wednesday discussed economic recovery in 2021 to hear that the Covid-19 crisis has hit the Slovenian economy hard. It has nevertheless been kept alive by state aid and is waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which could happen in the spring.

Ljubljana – Slovenia ranks 31st among 132 countries in the latest Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI), same as last year. It ranked 29th in 2019 and 25th when the index was first introduced in 2013. After the spring lockdown, the Slovenian economy recovered the fastest in the East Europe region.

Ljubljana – Atlantic Droga Kolinska, Belinka Perkemija, TKK and iSystem Labs were honoured on Wednesday as best foreign investors for their excellent business performance and contribution to the development of the Slovenian economy. The awards are given out annually by the SPIRIT investment promotion agency and the economy ministry.

In the latest issue of The Economic Mirror publication, IMAD says that the year-on-year growth of Slovenia's GDP in the first nine months of 2019 was 2.7%, which is a significant slowdown compared to 2018, while close to its autumn projection for the whole year (2.8%).

The Finance Ministry announced this on Monday.