Workshop: PREFERENTIAL ACCESS TO FOREIGN MARKETS: HOW TO EXPLOIT POTENTIAL OF FREE TRADE AND INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS?

On Tuesday, 24th of March 2015 the participants of the Workshop “PREFERENTIAL ACCESS TO FOREIGN MARKETS: HOW TO EXPLOIT POTENTIAL OF FREE TRADE AND INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS?” at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana discussed how firms can exploit opportunities given by free trade and investment agreements. The Workshop was organised as a part of European Jean Monnet project Understanding the potential of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement led by Professor Katja Zajc Kejžar.

In the introductory speech professor Katja Zajc Kejžar stressed that the EU has concluded or has been in the process of negotiating a number of important trade agreements that can help in opening up market opportunities for European businesses in the partner countries. She pointed to the change in the nature of regional integration processes in the recent years towards deeper and more comprehensive free trade agreements that include not only elimination of customs duties but also provisions to foster international production sharing. Professor Andrej Kumar exposed the high concentration of Slovenian trade on the EU market and emphasised the role of European free trade agreements for the diversification of the European exports towards fastest growing markets outside the European continent.

The Workshop continued with the preferential treatment aspect of the free trade agreements where Mrs. Iris Gorjanc-Dolničar from Ministry of Finance presented legislative aspects of preferential treatment and focused on what firms should know with respect to rules of origin when doing business internationally. Mr. Matjaž Ključevšek, Senior Logistics Expert at Gorenje d.d then presented two case studies of Gorenje Group on the role of rules of origin as cost optimisation tool for business. He illustrated the cost-benefit analysis of complying with preferential rules of origin. The workshop concluded with the vivid debate on how to leverage free trade agreements at the firm level and how to further exploit their potential also through the economic diplomacy.

This workshop has been funded with support from the European Commission.

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