The Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) promoted Slovakia on 6 October 2014 in France during the seminar organized within the program of the official opening of the Honorary Consulate of the Slovak Republic in Bordeaux. The investment and trade seminar was co-organized with the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Paris and the International Chamber of Commerce of Aquitaine in Bordeaux. The ultimate goal of the seminar was to put Slovakia on the map for potential French investors and businessmen, highlight the reasons why invest in CEE and in Slovakia, enlighten the doing business in Slovakia and present the existing opportunities in machinery, aeronautics and viniculture in order to support the Slovak-French business relations and boost the French investments in Slovakia. Over 16 participating French companies perceived the seminar as valuably informative and fruitful for their upcoming business plans. After the seminar there were organized the individual meetings with the French companies considering to develop the business and/or potentially invest in Slovakia in the future. The integral part of the entire seminar was the involvement of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Paris by H.E. Marek Estok, Ambassador of the SR in France and Ms Zuzana Scepanova, Economic Diplomat in France. Slovakia was promoted in France with its core value proposition for investment and business opportunities by Ms Marcela Torokova, Deputy Head of Investments, SARIO and Mr Dusan Huszar, Business Consultant, French-Slovak Chamber of Commerce. The success story was presented by Ms Eleonora Krcmeryova, Commercial Agent, Scea Chateau Terrefort-Quancard. France is one of the most important investing countries in Slovakia. Almost 400 French companies have invested in Slovakia and created up to 50 thousand jobs in various sectors. The Honorary Consulate of the Slovak Republic in Bordeaux has been the 5th opened in France. Mr Philippe Lorette, the newly appointed Honorary Consul will be focusing on viniculture, wood processing industry, tourism and aeronautics, and he is in charge of the five departments of Aquitaine region: Gironde, Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne, Landes and Pyrénées Atlantique. The seminar and the opening of the Honorary Consulate of the SR in Bordeaux will in the future establish new business leads for Slovakia.
