Text and photo: Erik Blatnik
SRIP ACS+ Director Tanja Mohorič attended the Slovenian-Portuguese Business Forum, organized by the SPIRIT agency with the aim of strengthening business ties between the two countries. The forum also discussed the automotive industry, its challenges, and the opportunities that both countries have in this field.
Last year, Slovenia and Portugal achieved just over €280 million in trade. Slovenia exported €173 million worth of goods and services to this Mediterranean country and imported €110 million worth from it. This is not enough, according to Tanja Mohorič, director of SRIP ACS+, and Miguel Araújo, director of the Portuguese automotive cluster MOBINOV. Trade between the two countries should be strengthened, not least because both Slovenia and Portugal have highly developed automotive industries.
It is currently facing numerous challenges, including accelerated electrification, the introduction of new business models, competition from the East, particularly China, as well as the digital and green transformation required by modern mobility and related production processes. Both interlocutors agreed that both industries are ready for the challenges, that we should not fear the Chinese, but rather include them in our environment and cooperate with them. The state must provide more decisive support to the automotive industry, including at the European level, in order to make it more competitive in the international environment.
Read more about Portugal’s economy on the SPIRIT website.
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Additional information: SRIP ACS+, Erik Blatnik, +386 1 236 17 35, erik.blatnik@acs-giz.si
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The automotive industry in Slovenia generates approximately 10% of gross domestic product and nearly 25% of Slovenian exports (source: SPIRIT Slovenia). All members of SRIP ACS+, including all areas of mobility, contribute more than 17% to Slovenia’s GDP. Our members generate more than €8 billion in annual revenue, with most of them operating as Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to global vehicle manufacturers. Each year, SRIP ACS+ members receive more than 25% of all innovation awards from the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the automotive industry.