DG Dr Salej meets with the counsellor for foreign affairs of the Prime Minister of Slovenia

DG Dr Salej emphasised that ICPE is a big opportunity for the Government of Slovenia for strengthening and deepening its ties and cooperation with ICPE member states and other non-EU countries. ICPE was the only intergovernmental organization that was explicitly stated in the EU – Brazil and EU – India summit joint statements in 2009. In this regards ICPE’s network of contacts in Asia, Africa and Latin America could serve as a platform for Slovenian political and economic actors to open the access to these countries.

Counsellor Makovec stressed the interest of Slovenian government to keep strong ties with European countries but particularly the interest to establish itself in other parts of the world. ICPE could in this respect represent an important gateway to Asia, Latin America and Africa. Regarding the economic cooperation JAPTI and Chamber of Commerce are the building blocks for promotion of Slovenian enterprises but the promotion through international organization such as ICPE is of outmost importance.

The Agreement for long term cooperation between ICPE and India is about to be signed. The signature of the agreement at the time of the Prime Minister’s visit in India would demonstrate strong Slovenian support to ICPE and its activities and especially the interest of both countries to strengthen their ties.

Public enterprises

ICPE has more than 30 years of experiences with the public sector enterprises (PSE) and their management. Through the recent economic downturn, which changed the prevalent neoliberal economic paradigm of the last two decades, it has become evident that competitive, productive and globalized PSEs are an indispensable tool for economic development. Nevertheless, the corporate social responsibility both with regards to social development and environment ought to play a crucial role in the new paradigm. French president Sarkozy emphasised the model of strong governmental involvement in public enterprises which made France one of the least affected countries by financial crisis in Europe.

ICPE is in this context organizing a conference in June and would like to invite Prime Minister Borut Pahor to sponsor the conference that will attract the leading authorities also from all over the world. The conference coincides with the 35^th anniversary of the ICPE.

Green Industry MBA 

Green Industry MBA is a concrete response to issues related to more environmentally friendly economies. It offers a unique answer to climate change challenge that stems from research excellency of the Slovenian leading research institute Jozef Stefan Institute and ICPE’s extensive international experience in managerial education both related to “real” economy and projects.