A Slovenian Perspective on the Economic Crisis and Implications for the EU and Eurozone     Print Email
Thursday, 07 October 2010

On October 7, 2010, Dr. Franc Križanic, Minister of Finance for the Republic of Slovenia offered his perspective on the implications of the economic crisis for his country as well as for the European Union. The first former eastern bloc country to adopt the euro in 2007, Slovenia has been hard hit by the current economic downturn. Following a decade of robust growth, Slovenia’s export driven economy contracted by 7.8 % in 2009 -- the largest drop in the euro area and the first recession since independence. But a combination of bold stimulus measures and financial sector support appears to have stemmed the downturn and GDP is expected to show a modest gain of .6% by year’s end. Minister Križanic asserted that sustainable economic growth will depend largely on increased investment in the development of new technologies. With key economic indicators showing that both Slovenia and Europe are already beginning to emerge from the crises, he concluded that prospects for even further recovery, growth and prosperity are good, as long as a focused and consolidated effort to achieve key goals remains intact.

Click here to view Minister Križanic's presentation.

 
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UMD Jean Monnet Research Project

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The Bertelsmann Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC with a transatlantic perspective on global challenges.

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