The German Association of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses, which invited the Estonian President to their gathering last year, chose President Pahor for this year's event. The head of the association, Mario Ohoven, told us that Slovenia was chosen because of its exceptional economic growth rate, and because the association wants to deepen its ties with Slovenia.

In his speech to more than 3500 businessmen and other prominent guests, President Pahor stressed that Slovenia and Germany trust each other, know each other well, and have the same values. "It's very encouraging that the share of private investment in companies has grown substantially, as did the amount of corporate investment in banks. For the past two years, consumer spending has been increasing. Investment is also on the increase, and compared to the period before the crisis, it has substantially more backing from private equity, rather than loans."

Mario Ohoven, who heads the German Association of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses, told us that the possibilities are now plentiful, but that the next move will be made by the business owners themselves.

On the margins of the conference, President Pahor also met with German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, with whom he discussed military investment and the cooperation of the two countries in the field of defense. Today, Pahor was hosted by Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble.