CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA, MILAN KUCAN, AND SLOVENE ECONOMISTS FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF MANAGERS OF SLOVENIA
Portoroz, 24 April 1997
Highlights of the President's address:
- It would be a mistake to give just one kind of assessment of whether development has progressed well or badly for the economy and for people. Each process by its nature requires a certain time. From the social, political and economic aspect, Slovenia is carrying out for its people a historic developmental process. In the commercial and industrial sector in the last few years we have seen the continuation and intensification of a process of restructuring, companies have adapted to the new environment, now they are selling on more demanding foreign markets, and productivity and quality levels are higher (today over 200 companies in Slovenia have certificates of quality from the ISO 9000 group). The awareness that Slovenia must make up for its shortfall in size by a surplus of quality is already taking hold in the commercial and industrial sector. The state administration and political leadership should follow this example.
- In development processes human potentials play an extremely important role. Between the population censuses of 1991 and 1981 Slovenia achieved a considerable shift in the education structure. The question is, if the current level of education and functional know-how satisfies the requirements placed before us by the development processes around the world, and particularly Slovenia's accession to the European Union. This is not simply a question of outside requirements, it is also a question of the goals we have set ourselves in the strategy of economic development for Slovenia and in the individual, sectoral strategies which also require a political consensus on the long-term strategic development of Slovenia.
- Slovenia's future lies in the ever faster globalising world market. Slovenia's recognisability lies primarily in the quality of products, services and in trade marks. We Slovenes can measure up to this, although only in such a way that employees preserve their human and creative dignity, that everyone works together in development, each in his own way - which was not the case for a long time - and not so that many people would feel marginalised from management, decision-making and participating in management. Participation in management is a function of development.
- The grey economy makes an essential contribution to social peace and to people's standard of living. We need new initiatives and ideas about how we might legalise the know-how and working premises of the grey economy and organise these into efficient business activities.
- Involvement in European integration is a question of actual existence for Slovenia. The road to full accession leads primarily through the effective process of Europeanising Slovenia, which we may understand chiefly as the implementation of European standards in all areas. This must be so for ourselves and for all of us, for the quality of life in this country, and for the promises and hopes deriving from the Plebiscite.
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
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