The meeting was organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Primorska in cooperation with the North Primorska Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nova Gorica, the Regional Chamber of Postojna and the Slovenian Business Point SPOT. This year’s traditional forum was held under the title "Expectations of the business sector and the measures of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia to improve the business environment in 2023".

In the light of the challenging situation brought on by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the energy crisis and high inflation, the participants in the economic forum focused on the stability of the business environment, rapid response and the adoption of targeted measures to mitigate the numerous fluctuations in global markets. The Slovenian Government supports, through urgent measures, the efforts of businessmen to sustain the economy.

Prime Minister Golob took part in the final part of the event as the guest of honour and expressed his optimism that most Slovenian companies would overcome the energy crisis without major knocks. According to the Prime Minister, our country is able to take care of our economy as well as the most developed countries such as Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

As regards energy prices, he stressed that EU Member States were unanimous on the regulation of natural gas, for which several price caps were foreseen, adding that the proposals would be finalised within two weeks. Electricity prices for the Slovenian economy will be market-based and, according to the Prime Minister’s estimate, will range between EUR 150 and 250, possibly as much as EUR 300, per megawatt-hour.

To that end, companies will be able to apply for state aid, for which the Government will also take into account investments made by companies to reduce their energy consumption. The Prime Minister again drew attention to the importance of renewables, which are "the safest and least risky investment, in particular solar power plants".