The Italian Trade Agency, as part of its Infrastructure Project, organized on December 2, 2020 a Web Business Forum dedicated to Infrastructure and Energy in Slovenia, while waiting for suitable conditions to resume the organization of events in the presence. The Forum was possible thank to the collaboration of the Italian Embassy in Ljubljana and the support of the Italian Associations ANCE, ANIE and OICE. The Forum was opened by H.E. the Ambassador of Italy to Slovenia, Carlo Campanile, who emphasize that the recent Italian Presidency of G20 and the Presidency of the European Commission that Slovenia will assume on July 1, 2021 are two important opportunities to look beyond the crisis. Slovenian Government recently launched a new Investment Plan for Infrastructure and Transport which includes 187 projects, with a total budget of approximately 7.7 billion euros. Interesting prospects are present for both road network (including the Third Priority Development Axis, new motorway sections and the restructuring of some existing ones) and the railway network. Projects relating to the infrastructure of the Port of Koper, to power plants and the expansion of some gas pipelines are also included. The program also includes residential, industrial and public health construction projects. Slovenia's transport system consists of more than 39,000 km of road network, of which over 700 km are highways. The total length of the railway sections is 1,209 km: the development of infrastructures and multimodal transport involves the modernization of the existing ones and the construction of new sections. The Mediterranean and trans-European transport networks intersect in the Port of Koper, where maritime transport and port traffic are constantly growing. The port - both freight and passengers - is in a strategic position and can manage all types of cargo and cruise ships, offering logistics and freight transport services to Central and Southern Europe. Another sector in full development is ICT: the steps taken by Slovenia over the years range from identifying areas with the greatest potential for technological growth to supporting domestic ICT industries, to give the Country a competitive advantage and attract foreign investment in the sector. Measures to attract investments in the Country go from encouraging entrepreneurship, start-ups and technology transfer, to improving public research and providing better access to finance.
The Web Forum of 2 December 2020 is was organized thanks to the collaboration of the Slovenian Ministry of Infrastructure, that is responsible for planning, regulating and improving the national transport and energy infrastructures. The Ministry is also committed to sustainable mobility solutions for a safer, cheaper and greener transport, ensuring a reliable energy supply and thus laying the foundations for the transition to a more efficient society, through a greater use of renewable energy sources. State Secretary Blaz Kosorok - together with highly qualified speakers form the main Slovenian companies - outlined the Country's situation and illustrated the most interesting infrastructure projects that will be developed in the future. The Forum was closed by the Italian Trade Agency Director General, Roberto Luongo, who stressed that the partnership between Italy and Slovenia is traditionally very important and that the future projects will give to Italian SME new opportunities to strengthen cooperation, transfer of know-how and technology and developing of services.
