Govt Due for Working Visit to SE Region
The government will continue its second round of visits to Slovenian regions on Wednesday, focusing on the SE regions of Bela krajina and Dolenjsko. While the official part of the visit will start on Wednesday, Prime Minister Janez Jansa and a part of the cabinet will launch the visit already on Tuesday. During the government's last visit to the SE statistical region in January last year Jansa said its economy depended mostly on a few successful companies which generated two thirds of the region's revenues. He also pointed to the gap in economic development among the two regions, with Bela krajina lagging behind Dolenjsko.
The region's largest companies, pharma company Krka, Renault-owned car manufacturer Revoz, Trimo, maker of prefabricated components for the construction industry, and motor homes maker Adria Mobil, remain centred around the region's administrative centre of Novo mesto.
This gap is also reflected in employment. While Novo mesto is facing a shortage of workers, unemployment remains relatively high in Bela krajina. In general, unemployment dropped by 26% between January 2006 and May 2007.
Another problem, facing companies in Dolenjsko and Bela krajina is an unfavourable structure of the unemployed. The region lacks workers in the construction, metallurgy, hospitality, haulage, chemical, wood and retail sectors.
According to the Novo mesto office of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 1,508 companies were registered in the regions in 2006, 29 of which were classified as large companies. They posted a net profit of EUR 219m in 2006, a 17% increase over 2005. This represented 8.5% of the net profit of all Slovenian companies.
The average gross wage in the regions stood at EUR 1,203 last year, a 5.2% increase compared to 2005. The average monthly wages exceeded the national average by 7.4%. Exports generated 63% of all revenues in the region in 2006, the number standing at 29% nation-wide, mainly due to Revoz and Krka.
Transport links, especially with Bela krajina, remain a problem which could be solved by the construction of the third development axis, a transport link between northeastern and southeastern Slovenia.
While the plans for the project in the region have still not been finalised, Transport Minister Janez Bozic, has said that the project could be completed by 2013 or 2014 at the latest.
The local communities are also counting on the completion of the Slovenian part of the Ljubljana-Zagreb motorway which passes nearby Novo mesto.
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