Support for Serbian and Slovenian Companies in Entering Third Markets

Over 100 businesspeople, institutional representatives, and associations from Serbia and Slovenia gathered in Ljubljana at the Slovenian-Serbian Business Forum, where participants confirmed a strong shared interest in strengthening cooperation and jointly entering third markets.

During the forum, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) and the Slovenian development agency SPIRIT Slovenia, aimed at reinforcing institutional cooperation and supporting the connection of companies and entrepreneurs. The memorandum was signed by Mihailo Vesović, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, and Tamara Zajec Balažič, Director of SPIRIT Slovenia. They emphasized that this agreement lays the foundation for long-term cooperation, information exchange, and joint implementation of international market projects.

Addressing the forum participants, Vesović underlined the strategic importance of cooperation with Slovenia, which enables increased competitiveness of companies and joint entry into third markets. He particularly highlighted the importance of forming clusters or consortia and jointly developing products with regional potential, drawing on good practices from the Benelux and Scandinavian regions.

"Our task is not to make final decisions but to establish dialogue – to identify complementary sectors and explore models of cooperation," stated the Vice President of the CCIS.

Tamara Zajec Balažič, Director of SPIRIT Slovenia, emphasized that Serbia and Slovenia are close in many aspects—not only due to historical, linguistic, and cultural ties, but also because of similar economic structures, export orientation, and entrepreneurial spirit.

“These shared foundations represent a strong basis for building successful partnerships and joint projects aimed at entering third markets, through which we can significantly enhance our international competitiveness and visibility. I am pleased that we further strengthened this partnership today by signing a memorandum with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia,” said Zajec Balažič.

She announced that further business matchmaking will take place in August at the AGRA fair, where SPIRIT Slovenia and the CCIS will organize a joint business event.

The working part of the forum included two panel discussions:

The first panel, titled "Support for Joint Market Entry – Internationalization Strategy", featured:

Ana Stojanović, Center for Africa and the Middle East, CCIS

Jernej Salecel, Director General of the Directorate for Industry, Economy, and Internationalization at the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport of Slovenia

Dejan Prešiček, Director of the Center for International Cooperation and Development (CMSR)

Gašper Jež, Direct Financing Specialist at SID Bank

The panelists emphasized the importance of institutional support for companies entering third markets, the availability of financial instruments, diplomatic backing, and opportunities for cooperation in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. They also stressed the need for targeted advisory support and easier access to existing support mechanisms, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The second panel, "On-the-Ground Experiences – Companies Conquering Third Markets", gathered representatives of companies who shared their experiences in internationalization and highlighted key success factors—ranging from understanding local conditions and perseverance to credibility and strategic partnerships.

Following the official part of the forum, B2B meetings and networking sessions were held between Serbian and Slovenian business representatives.

Participants rated the event as an important platform for building new partnerships, sharing experiences, and preparing for joint ventures in international markets.