The traditional OECD Forum started in Paris yesterday and this time it takes place under the title "Resilient Economies for Inclusive Societies". In the framework of the opening session, the assembled audience was addressed by the EOECD Secretary-General Mr Angel Gurria, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors in the White House Jason Furman, and the Slovenian Prime Minister Mrs Alenka Bratušek, MSc.

VZMD President Kristjan Verbič, MSc, who is currently occupied with many duties and preparations for the forthcoming Slovenian business day in Denmark which is being prepared by the Pan-Slovenian Shareholders' Association (VZMD) and its international business-investment programme Invest to Slovenia – investo.si during the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, was also on a one-day visit to Paris yesterday. Mr Verbič actively participated at the OECD Forum for the second time, after he participated at the Forum in 2011 when he spoke with, among others, the President of the European Council (Mr Herman Van Rompuy), OECD Secretary-General (Mr Angel Gurria), US Secretary of State (Hillary R. Clinton), President of the European Commission (José Manuel D. Barroso) and President of Chile (Sebastián Piñera E. M. J.).  

In the framework of the current Forum, Mr Verbič also attended a joint press conference with the Slovenian Prime Minister and OECD Secretary-General and he asked them both a question related to the Slovenian Prime Minister's speech in which she stated that in December last year the trust into the Slovenian financial and banking system had once again been restored. Mr Verbič emphasized the expropriation of more than 100.000 owners of shares and bonds in the Slovenian banks and pointed out that the above-mentioned move caused extreme outrage among foreign investors. The VZMD President also provided an example of the total loss of trust of the investors at the Warsaw stock exchange where Nova KBM shares were quoted until the radical expropriation measures took place.

Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek did not provide any additional explanations for the statement that the Government of the Republic of Slovenia was obliged to act according to instructions from Brussels – a topic which so far the Governor of the Bank of Slovenia as well as the Finance Minister have been asked about many times by VZMD expert associates. The VZMD President pointed out the above mentioned problems on 28 March in the European Parliament at the International Conference »Better Finance Manifesto«. After his presentation numerous representatives of European Institutions, decision makers and regulators expressed their surprise regarding the statement that the cancellation of subordinate bonds had supposedly resulted from the insistence of the European Commission, and all competent co-speakers, with no exceptions, completely denied such a possibility. 

Given that the Slovenian Prime Minister in her address speech twice emphasized that »Slovenia is on the right track again«, the VZMD President also asked her if she did not consider this statement to be paradoxical since on the very same day she resigned as Prime Minister.

Otherwise, the famous Forum is being attended by numerous important representatives of states, institutions and companies from all over the world, among them the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Turkish Minister of Economy Ali Babacan, Indonesian Finance Minister Muhamad Chatib Basri, Slovenian Foreign Minister Karel Erjavec and Slovenian Minister of Economic Development and Technology Metod Dragonja. Besides the Slovenian Prime Minister there are two more Slovenes speaking at the current forum: Drago Kos, President of the Slovene OECD Working Group on Bribery and Mateja Kožuh Novak, President of the Slovene Federation of Pensioners' Association. Thus, Mr Verbič yesterday met numerous Forum participants and the highest Slovenian and foreign representatives and again provided an adequate presentation of the VZMD international business-investment programmes: Invest to Slovenia (investo.si) and International Investors` Network (invest-to.net).

Immediately after the conclusion of yesterday's Forum Mr Verbič returned to Copenhagen where he carried out the final preparations for today's Slovenian Business Day in Denmark.

Together with the Slovenian Representative at Eurovision 2014, VZMD invites you to join them at the biggest official feast, party and concert accompanying the Eurovision events – WELCOME TO THE SLOVENIAN EVENING!