One year ago the Rio project, through which Slovenia as a country was to promote itself at the Olympic Games, was put together with great ambition. Our wish was to set up a Slovenian house, but we soon realized that the project worth more than two million eurost was too expensive, explains Aleš Cantarutti, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy.
We then thought about setting up a Slovenian spot on one of the beaches, which would have cost around 200.000 euros. However, when we inquired about the interests of the Slovenian business community on the Brazilian market, we soon realized that the costs of the Slovenian spot outweighed the advantages. But despite that we did decide to carry out certain promotional activities. The Olympic Games present an opportunity which should not be missed, adds Cantarutti: "The Ministry of Economic Development and Technology has earmarked 40.000 euros for the promotion of Slovenia's tourism and economic potential during the Olympic Games through the Spirit agency and the Slovenian Tourist Board (STO)."
The reasons why Slovenia's economy is not that interested in Brazil is the fact that Slovenian companies export three quarters of their products to the European Union and neighbouring markets, explains Ante Milevoj, the head of the centre for international business at the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS). Especially interested in Brazil at this moment are IT companies.
"It is an opportunity and we've already had cases of business deals being made. The IT industry is the present and future of Brazilian-Slovenian cooperation," said Milevoj.
Slovenian companies from the pharmaceutical, energy, and car industries also do business in Brazil. Last year Slovenian companies exported 40 million euros and imported 170 million euros of goods and services from Brazil.