Rantzen stressed that Germany's high productivity was primarily a consequence of a good educational and vocational training system, the tradition of medium-sized and family companies, and an effective exports support system.

Among the advantages of business cooperation with Germany, she singled out the size of the country's economy and the market itself, its favourable location in the centre of Europe, and executives being good in business English.

While the construction sector is slowing down slightly, personal consumption is on a rise and innovative products are gaining on importance, Rantzen said.

According to her, the key sectors are automotive, machine and metal industry, production of beverages, ICT, electronics and energy and environmental technologies. "All these sectors are good opportunities for Slovenian companies."

It is a common misconception that Bavaria is the most important state for Slovenian exporters, but statistics show that Baden-Württemberg is actually in first place. "This should be taken into account when planning an entry to the German market," said Rantzen.

A recent survey carried out by the German-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce showed that Slovenian companies enjoy the trust of German partners. "German automotive companies would certainly not order parts in Slovenia if they did not trust them," added Jakob Haselhuber of the German Embassy in Slovenia.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology Aleš Cantarutti said that the ministry put a lot of emphasis on the German market. One of its priorities is to reduce the obstacles that companies face in the process of internationalisation.

The opening debate was followed by workshops for Slovenian companies interested in the German market, while in the evening the annual German Economy Award was handed out at a ceremony addressed by chairman of the Messer Group Stefan Messer.

This year, the award went to software innovator Epilog, which has successfully optimised countless warehouse processes across Europe and has had great success in the German market.

Their innovative solutions and promising prospects to continue expanding their business in Germany and abroad has convinced the jury to choose them over a fierce competition from a variety of enterprises, the chamber said in a press release.

"We are extremely happy to get the jury's recognition for our ideas and the work," the software developer's boss Damjan Širca said on the occasion.

"Epilog's AtlasWMS software already covers over 30 warehouses in Germany and our current clients count on our help in their future warehousing facilities," he commented on the company's role on the German market.