Slovenia Your Business Partner 2005-2006
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Slovenia Your Business Partner 2005-2006 www.sloveniapartner.com Slovenia • Area: 20,256 km2 • Population: 1, 997,004 (June 2004); 83% ethnic Slovene (2002 Census) • Capital: Ljubljana, 267,563 inhabitants • Other major towns: Maribor (111,673), Kranj (52,689), Celje (48,616), Koper (49,090), Novo Mesto (41,434) and Nova Gorica (36,043) • Slovenia is subdivided into 12 statistical regions. • GDP growth in 2004: 4.6% • Average annual GDP growth 1995-2004: 3.9% • GDP per capita in purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2004: 17,400 Euro (78% of EU-25 average) • Member of the EU and NATO since 2004 • Political system: democratic republic; Slovenia’s highest legislative body is its 90-member parliament. HUNGARY AUSTRIA Murska Sobota Slovenj Gradec Maribor Jesenice Ptuj Velenje Kranj Celje General Information ITALY Ljubljana Nova Gorica • Local time: Central European Time (CET) Novo Mesto CROATIA Postojna • International dialling code for Slovenia: +386 • International calls from Slovenia: “00” prefix Koper - followed by the country code • International symbols for Slovenia: SI, SVN, SLO • Slovenian Internet domain suffix: .si • Internet users: 43% of the Slovenian population aged 16-74 uses the Internet. 93% of businesses with more than ten employees have Internet access (source: National Statistical Office, 2004) • Internet hosts: 45,491 (source: CIA World Factbook, 2004) • Mobile phone ownership: 88% of the population aged 10-75 (source: RIS) • National Holidays January 1 & 2, February 8, Easter Sunday & Easter Dating from the 1848 “Spring of Nations”, the flag of Monday, April 27, May 1 & 2, June 25, August 15, the Republic of Slovenia is based on that of the Duchy October 31, November 1, December 25, of Carniola (Kranjska), and consists of a horizontal December 26 white-blue-red tricolour with the national coat-of-arms • Currency: Slovenian Tolar (SIT) in its upper left field. • Average Tolar/Euro exchange rate in 2004: The coat-of-arms, a heraldic composite, bears an image 238.86 SIT per 1 EUR of Mount Triglav (“three-heads”) on a blue background; • Slovenia entered ERM2 on 28th June 2004 at a the two undulating blue lines below it signify rivers and parity rate at 239.64 SIT per 1 EUR. the sea, while the three six-pointed golden stars above • Anticipated adoption of the Euro: 1st January 2007 are from the arms of the Counts of Celje, indigenous rulers of much of Slovene territory between the 12th and 15th centuries. Contents Slovenia –Resourceful and Dynamic 4 Favourable Business Climate 6 An Open Trade-Oriented Economy 8 Direct Investment 9 Top Class Products 10 Bled, Photo: J. Skok, STB Key Partners 12 Information Technology 13 Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology 14 Automotive Sector 15 Construction and Civil Engineering 16 Logistics and Transport 17 Energy 18 Industrial Design and a Spirit of Innovation 19 Financial Services 20 Velika Planina, the Kamnik Alps, Photo: B. Kladnik, STB Commitment to the Environment 21 A Holiday Away From It All… 22 Piran with Portorož Bay, Photo: J. Skok, STB 3 Slovenia is a mosaic of constituent elements that together embody this Slovenia – nation “on the sunny side of the Alps”. It is a country: Resourceful • at the juncture of the East and West as well as North and South – at the very crossroads of Europe – where influences from the Mediterranean, and Dynamic Dinaric, Alpine and Pannonian worlds meet, mingle and merge; • in the very heart of Central Europe, where Europe’s Slavic, Latin and Germanic cultures have encountered one another, and where throughout the centuries peoples have drawn from and contributed to one-another’s knowledge, science and art; A country in the heart • across which one can drive in a mere three or four hours, and, in the of Europe tranquillity of unspoiled nature, leave the urban rush far behind; • where in a single day one can go skiing on high Alpine slopes, wander through primeval virgin forests, and swim in the warm waters of the Adriatic. Slovenia's identity is not expressed merely through its history, nor by its language – the first written testament to which is the Freising Manuscript Many famous sons that dates back to the first millennium – culture or century-long road to independence. Indeed, this country exhibits a disparate individuality, and despite its small size many great figures from history were born and raised on its territory. Of these, mention should be made of Jožef Stefan (1835-1893), one of the most distinguished physicists of the nineteenth century. Among other things, Stefan originated a law that the total radiation from a black body is proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature, known as the Stefan-Boltzmann law. The mathematics professor and artillery officer Jurij (Georg) Vega (1754- 1802) is best remembered for his tables of logarithms and trigonometric functions. In addition to calculating seven-figure logarithms, Vega also calculated π to 140 decimal places, a feat which was not surpassed for over 50 years. In the 1880s, the work of Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) rapidly became a revelation in European architectural circles. Besides the extraordinarily high quality of his work, Plečnik was also acclaimed for his original and innovative style. His most renowned works are in Prague (reconstruction of the Hradcany Castle complex, and design for the Church of the Sacred Heart), Vienna (the Zacherl apartment block in the city centre, and the Church of the Holy Spirit in Ottakring) as well as his native Ljubljana (the Tromostovje and Prešeren's monument, Photo: M. Kranjec “Tromostovje” – Triple Bridge, the National and University Library, Ljubljana market place, and the reconstruction of Križanke Monastery). One of Europe’s leading psychoanalysts and dialectical materialist philosophers, Slavoj Žižek (1949-) is, amongst other things, engaged with the issues of fetishism, phantasm, as well as the dialectics of the mysterious relationship between phantasm and pleasure. Branko Djurić (1962-) a Slovenian director, writer and actor of Bosnian descent, starred in the 2001 film No Man’s Land, a Slovenian-Bosnian co- production that received an Oscar for best foreign language film. Maribor, Photo: A. Fevžer, STB 4 Slovenia, the country at the crossroads of many historical migrations and trading routes, is a rich treasury of ancient artefacts. Amongst numerous precious archaeological finds are a number of global significance, such as A rich heritage the 45,000 year-old Moustarian Bone Flute, the earliest preserved musical instrument in the world, which was discovered in the Divje Babe Cave near Idrija in northwestern Slovenia, and the Vače Situla, a 5th century BC Celtic urn discovered in central Slovenia. Such priceless relics, together with a wealth of other artefacts of historical importance, are exhibited in over 200 museums and other collections throughout the country. Architectural heritage is both rich and diverse. The vedute of Slovenia’s Know-how and towns and villages have evolved over centuries. In addition to Roman innovation are the key remains, there are churches, monasteries and castles with Romanesque and Gothic elements, while the seminal medieval boroughs were in to continued prosperity turn complemented by Renaissance mansions, the rich splendour of the Baroque, as well as elements of classicism and secessionist styles. Influenced by a number of mainstream European architectural trends, Slovenia’s landscape is in a great many ways distinguished by the idiosyncrasies and particularities fostered by local creativity, the countenance of which changes from one locality to the next. In the littoral region and the Vipava Valley such indigenous style is most manifested in the details of stonework elements, whereas along the Soča River it is the tiled roofs which replaced the erstwhile thatch that remains of particular interest. The old granaries and famous Slovenian kozolec corn-racks, together with ornamented village wells are also noteworthy. The longstanding tradition of crafts and small-scale manufacture – which were the precursor of this nation’s industries – is foremostly expressed in glassware (Rogaška), Idrija lacework, the cast-iron products that emanated Rogaška glassware and Idrija lacework, from Carniola’s earliest foundries, earthenware from Prekmurje, as well as Photo: D. Arzenšek, CCIS honey biscuits, festive cakes and decorated breads from every corner of the land. This country faces the future with a firm belief that its indigenous know- how, innovativeness and dynamism – in conjunction with the Slovenian way of life – shall further contribute to the great wealth of world culture and commerce. The Tolminka stream, Photo: J. Skok, STB Izola, Photo: J. Skok, STB 5 Slovenia continues to work to further accomplish its vision of a successful, Favourable internationally competitive, flexible and dynamic economy; the vision of a country of educated and motivated people who contribute to overall Business growth and, by way of this, to prosperity and social harmony. According to the 2002 census, more than 13% of the country’s population has tertiary Climate education and Slovenian universities enrol some 25,000 students every year. In 2004 the number of persons in employment amounted to over 900,000, some 55.3% of the total population. Main Economic Indicators GDP (billion GDP (billion Euro) GDP per PPS capita (in Euro) GDP annual growth Exports (in growth terms) real Imports (in growth terms) real Inflation rate Unemploy- rate ment (ILO) 2003 24.9 16,400 2.7% 3.1% 6.7% 5.6% 6.7% An internationally 2004 26.2 17,400 4.2% 12.5% 13.2% 3.6% 6.3% 2005 competitive, flexible and - 18,400 4.2% 8.3% 7.2% 2.6% 6.2% (estimate) dynamic economy Sources: National Statistical Office, Eurostat, CCIS-SKEP estimates and forecasts GDP Structure – Main Sectors Services 60.5 % Agriculture 2.5 % Construction 6 % Industry 31 % Reaching 78% of the EU-25 GDP in PPS with a stable GDP growth of 4.2% in 2004 Source: National Statistical Office, CCIS-SKEP calculation The 4.2% growth in GDP achieved in 2004 was the highest for five years in the row.