Western Balkan territories were in the focus of interest of Slovak entrepreneurs
Bratislava, 20. 3. 2024
A discussion forum – Export Club on the Western Balkans, organised by EXIMBANKA SR with the active participation of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic (MFA SR), the Slovak Agency for Investment and Trade Development (SARIO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), took place yesterday at the Vígľaš Castle. The aim of the event was to provide Slovak companies with an overview of opportunities for their expansion into the Western Balkan territories.
As Rastislav Chovanec, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic said at the opening of the Export Club, “It is in the interest of the Department of Diplomacy that economic diplomacy develops. It is not only about export promotion, but also about assistance in attracting investors to Slovakia, twinning projects or development assistance. Our aim is to bring assistance to companies more to the fore, to help Slovak entrepreneurs build something abroad. And it was the entrepreneurs who mentioned the Western Balkans as a territory they were interested in and would like to potentially do business in. Personally, I see a lot of room for Slovak companies in countries with which we share a similar past and geographical proximity, for example in Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina, in sectors such as engineering, food, energy, real estate and development, or digital and innovative technologies. I therefore welcome the active steps that Eximbanka is taking in this regard, including by organising this discussion forum”.
“It isprecisely the strengthening of cooperation and synergy of state instruments that is one of the visions with which I took the helm of Eximbank. I therefore appreciate that I have found strong allies in the representatives of both the Department of Diplomacy and SARIO, with whom we share this vision. Our task is to create the best possible conditions for Slovak companies to be able to implement their business plans in the territories of their interest. Slovak production already has a very good reputation and position in the Western Balkans. I am therefore convinced that thanks to the information they have gained at the Export Club, we will be able to successfully build on the tradition of Made in Slovakia together,” said Rastislav Podhorec, CEO of Eximbanka.
“We are pleased to contribute to this important initiative of Eximbank to promote trade and export opportunities to the Western Balkans. The EBRD is a major investor in the region, providing a record €1.63 billion in new financing last year alone. We have a network of six offices in the Western Balkans with nearly 150 staff and we look forward to working with Slovak entrepreneurs considering investments in the region,” added Matteo Colangeli, EBRD Director for the Western Balkans region.
“We appreciate Eximbank’s initiative in preparing such events as well as promoting interesting foreign export territories and, last but not least, the export services provided by the state for entrepreneurs. The closer we, as the main promoters of export support (MZVEZ SR, MH SR, SARIO, Eximbanka), are to entrepreneurs, the more useful information we will have for planning short and long-term strategies of our organisations, for proper diversification of our exports and for specific targeting of business missions to foreign territories,” emphasised Egon Zorad, Director of the Foreign Trade Department of SARIO.
Slovak entrepreneurs received useful information on various forms of export support in a given territory and attended dozens of B2G meetings with, among others, Boris Konček, an economic diplomat from the embassy in Belgrade, and Patrik Turosik, an economic diplomat from the embassy in Sarajevo.
During its almost 27-year history, Eximbanka has supported Slovak exports to more than 100 countries worldwide for almost EUR 50 billion, of which support for exports to the Western Balkans amounted to EUR 0.5 billion. Eximbanka supports Slovak entrepreneurs in their export activities to traditional EU markets, while also focusing on export markets outside the EU and new, promising territories in emerging regions or geographically more distant destinations.
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ABOUT EXIMBANK SR
As the only direct instrument of the state for financing exports, EXIMBANKA SR is an important part of the chain responsible for promoting the country’s economic policy in the field of external economic relations. It is an important instrument of state support for exports in the field of financing, provision of guarantees and insurance of credit risks. It offers a wide range of export-related financial products, in particular credit insurance, financing and guarantees. As a state export credit agency, it enables Slovak exporters to enter into trade and investment relations where the commercial financial sector is less interested in taking on risk and therefore performs a complementary function.
Martina Vráblik Solčányiová
EXIMBANKA SR
Communications and Marketing Department
Tel: +421 903 542 072
Photo source: Eximbanka