Visiting the company as part of the government tour of SE Slovenia, Cerar praised its advanced technology and said Revoz was one of the biggest positive factors in the Slovenian economy.

This is why the government, given that certain conditions are met, remains prepared to continue to stimulate its activities, he said.

Back in 2013, the government approved EUR 22m state aid to Revoz for production of a new Twingo and the Smart four-seater.

Cerar was also happy about the launch of production of the new Clio 4, planned for the end of February 2017, but was concerned to hear that Revoz was having difficulties getting staff despite high unemployment in the broader region.

The prime minister plans to inquire about the reasons why the unemployed are not motivated to get a job with Revoz, despite the fact that no special skills are needed. He indicated that certain measures might be needed in response.

According to board member Anton Zvonko Kink, the company hired more than 200 mostly agency workers at the end of summer to boost production, and plans to hire 300-500 more next year for the production of the new Clio 4.

Since they could not find enough workforce in the nearby regions Dolenjsko, Bela krajina and Kočevje, they plan to expand the search to Ljubljana, Trbovlje, Sevnica and Celje. If this is not not enough, they will hire Bosnian and Croatian workers to work in the night shift.

Kink said the beginners were offered monthly wages of EUR 910 gross, plus overtime pay, holiday allowance, and a performance bonus.

With the launch of the new Clio 4 next year, they expect to launch a night shift and increase production to between 180,000 and 190,000 vehicles a year and see a 40% increase in exports.

Raynald Joly, who has been Revoz president of the board since August, said the company expected to put out 130.000 vehicles this year and emphasise: "We are very pleased to get the support of the Slovenian government for all our new projects. Committed to a long term strategy in Slovenia, REVOZ has invested around 900 M€ in Novo Mesto in the past 10 years. Now our production plan is increasing significantly for the next year. We expect to hire 300 to 500 new workers in the coming weeks for the night shift and to increase our exports by 40 % in 2017. REVOZ is also competing for new strategic models starting in 2019."