The agreement will make it easier for many highly skilled Slovenians to return after a period of work in the US, the minister said after the signing.

According to the minister, Slovenians will be eligible after 18 months of service in the US to have their pension insurance paid in Slovenia taken into account. So far, they had to work at least ten years to be eligible.

Pensions will be paid by the two countries proportionally to the years of service in each respective country, Kopač Mrak explained.

The agreement will affect many Slovenian experts and researchers in the US, who are very important for Slovenia's development, as well as other Slovenians working there, who would like to return but do not wish to lose the rights to the social security contributions paid in the States, she pointed out.

Moreover, the agreement does away with double pension insurance contributions for workers posted in the other country for up to five years.

This will contribute significantly to a more competitive business environment for foreign investment in Slovenia and make it easier for Slovenian companies to perform services in the US with their own workers, the minister stressed.

Hartley added that this alone would save around EUR 37.7m for American and Slovenian businesses and workers in the first seven years.

He noted that the agreement was a result of intense negotiations of the two governments extending over several years.

The agreement also allows pensioners from one country who move to the other to receive their pensions there. In this respect, Kopač Mrak stressed that the US was the last country with a sizeable Slovenian community that had so far not had such an agreement with Slovenia.