Numerous opportunities for cooperation between Slovenian, Vietnamese firms: insider

Vesna Nahtigal, General Manager of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (Photo: VNA)

Prague – There are plenty of opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises to expand investment in Slovenia which is located in the centre of Europe and boasts an export-oriented economy along with strengths in a variety of fields such as transportation, logistics, engineering and pharmaceuticals, according to Vesna Nahtigal, General Manager of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS).

Nahtigal said that economic cooperation between Slovenia and Vietnam is becoming increasingly important, clearly shown through strengthened trade and political relations.

Two-way trade has nearly tripled in the past seven years. Last year, Slovenia exported commodities worth 70.5 million EUR (76.8 million USD) to Vietnam, while spending 51.7 million EUR purchasing products from the Southeast Asian country.

She noted that the most promising areas of cooperation between the two countries are transportation, logistics, engineering, machinery and equipment products and services, and environmental technology, which are the pillars in Slovenia's exports to the Asian market.

Stressing the importance of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA)’s advantages, Nahtigal shared that Slovenia is looking forward to the ratification and implementation of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), which will allow the promotion of investment partnerships in the future.

In order to promote cooperation in Slovenia's transport and logistics sectors, two business forums on leading supply chain solutions for Vietnamese goods to Central and Eastern Europe will be held in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi by the CCIS, the SPIRIT Slovenia Business Development Agency, Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia.

Their purpose is to develop business relationships with Vietnam-based international transport and logistics companies, industry players and stakeholders, and introduce comprehensive supply chain solutions from port, customs, maritime and road transport to destination for goods exported from Vietnam to Central and Eastern European markets and imports from these markets to Vietnam.

According to her, Vietnam's business expansion into the EU's common market of 450 million consumers and 27.5 million enterprises will be facilitated by cooperation with Slovenian companies.

Slovenian expert highly values cooperation potential with Vietnam Vietnam and Slovenia have great potential to enhance cooperation across multiple domains such as labour, tourism, logistics, and import and export of agricultural products, former General Director of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) Ales Cantarutti has said.