The conference was organised as part of an official visit by Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek to Paris and featured Finance Minister Uroš Čufer and some two dozen senior executives of major French infrastructure, transport, construction, energy and defence companies.

The interest of French companies in investing in Slovenia is "huge", Charles Paradis, a representative of the powerful employers' union Medef, told reporters.

Paradis would not delve into details, but he did mention airport operator Aerodrom Ljubljana and motorway company DARS as eliciting interest among French firms.

Bratušek did not speak to reporters after the conference, but she said in her opening address that the event represented "an important step forward" in Slovenian-French ties.

She noted that Slovenia would carry out privatisation with transparent public tenders, giving preferential treatment to strategic investors seeking to establish a long-term presence.

Bratušek and Čufer told the executives about Slovenia's plans regarding bank restructuring and reforms, convinced that Slovenia would emerge from the recession in 2014.

Several major French companies, including Lactalis and Renault, already have a strong presence in Slovenia but Bratušek was confident there was additional scope for investments.

Slovenia's exports to France are worth EUR 1.2bn annually and imports stand at EUR 950m.

Boštjan Skalar, the head of the SPIRIT agency for the promotion of investments, said he was "very pleased" with the event.

Skalar also highlighted interest in banks after Paradis mentioned Societe Generale and BNP Parnibas as potential investors.

Societe Generale is already present (as the owner of SKB bank) and good experience of French investors is "a positive message for others," he said.

The conference came just weeks after Bratušek attended a similar event in Düsseldorf as part of efforts to woo German investors to Slovenia.

Similar events are scheduled for 9 December in Milan and 11 December in Moscow.

The government is currently trying to privatize 13 companies, including Aerodrom Ljubljana, while two from its privatisation priority list have already been sold.