The Zlatorog Celje Business Club and the Municipality of Celje organized a professional meeting at the MIK Development Institute of Dr. Peter Novak in Vojnik on the topic, "Money never sleeps – how can companies in the Trnovlje South Economic and Business Zone leverage European Investment Bank (EIB) resources for growth and innovation?" This was the first of five professional events that the Zlatorog Business Club will implement as a partner within the support services for the "Development of the Trnovlje South EPC" project.

In the introduction, the participants were addressed by the Mayor of the Municipality of Celje, Matija Kovač. He emphasized the importance of the Trnovlje South EPC development for the Celje economy and the challenges in financing the further development of economic and business zones in the municipality.

The keynote speaker at the event was Dr. Simon Savšek, Head of the EIB Representation in Slovenia. In his presentation, he stated that the European Investment Bank offers numerous financing opportunities for companies that want to invest in sustainable solutions, digitalization, and the development of new technologies.

The President of the ZLATOROG Celje Business Club, Dr. Vladan Mladenović, highlighted in his address the importance of connecting companies, local politics, and financial institutions, as access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges for the Slovenian economy.

The Municipality of Celje was successful in the public tender "Support for innovative ecosystems of economic and business infrastructure to support smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth" (K2 - Increasing productivity, investor-friendly business environment; U2 - Providing innovative ecosystems of economic and business infrastructure). The "Development of the Trnovlje South Economic and Business Zone" project is thus co-financed from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).

In the first phase of the project 2022-2024, we developed the land in the zone, including the development of road and utility infrastructure and the sale of developed land. We also established the project website and formulated the vision for the development of the zone in the first phase. The goal of the second phase in the first half of 2025 is to support the rapid placement of companies in the space, enable the start of business activities, create synergies within the economy at the local and international levels, and promote the zone in the Slovenian and local space and at the international level.

In the second phase of the project, the emphasis is on support services for companies, which we are implementing in cooperation with the Zlatorog Business Club.

With the project, we want to create a strong business ecosystem in the local community. This includes planning services tailored to new and existing companies in the zone, promoting environmentally friendly, smart, digitized, and sustainable business practices."


Photo: Nik Jarh