One of the government's main goals is to put Slovenia on the map of investment-attractive countries and make the country a centre for R&D, logistics and green economy, said the PM. "Slovenia wants to become a model for others in some industries."

Steel maker SIJ chairman Anton Chernykh said that corporate taxes in Slovenia were high and that it was hard to create new jobs, a sentiment echoed by Vojmir Urlep, the boss of drug maker Lek.

Andrej Špik of mobile provider Simobil is concerned with the duration of court procedures and said that it was very hard to prove business damage in competition infringement cases.

Cerar meanwhile said that the government was working on an overhaul of the tax system and was also addressing issues in the education system, the labour market and promoting competition.

GZS director general Samo Hribar Milič provided some figures as regards foreign-owned companies in Slovenia. They account for 20% of the private sector work force and 12% of the working population in general.

Moreover, these companies created more jobs than Slovenian-owned companied last year and the added value they create is increasing faster than that created by Slovenian-owned companies. Also, their profits grew by more than 10% last year.