The event "Momentum for the rise into the promising future of the CARINIA REGION" sheds light on the challenges and opportunities that the future brings!

On Thursday, December 5, 2024, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., an interesting and different event took place at the National Hall of Mežica , which resonated and in some way brought together representatives of institutions, the economy, and politics.

In the introductory part, the event host, Director of the Koroška Regional Development Agency Uroš Rozman , welcomed the attendees, followed by a meaningful and excellent address by Angelca Mrak, Chairwoman of the Koroška Regional Development Council, followed by an address by State Secretary from the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development Srečko Đurov.

In the continuation of the event, Jure Knez, head of the Koroška Network Business Incubator, presented a view entitled CAROŠKA - WHERE ARE WE?

Jure Knez, head of the business incubator, said:

"Koroška has great potential to become a region of opportunity for talented individuals with a strong industrial tradition, innovative companies and an attractive natural environment. The biggest challenges currently include the lack of qualified personnel for traditional industries and the insufficient number of attractive jobs for highly educated people. But this is also an opportunity to create an innovative, stimulating and development-oriented environment that will attract and retain talent. In this regard, the post-flood reconstruction is a strategic opportunity not only for rehabilitation, but also for development and placing Koroška on the map of leading regions. The key to this will be the cooperation of all stakeholders, both regional and national."

An interesting discussion followed on the topic "How to attract and retain talent in the region?".

The discussion was attended by competent interlocutors: Sonja Šmuc, Deputy President for Strategic Projects of DEWESoft doo, Jernej Duler, co-owner of Innoduler doo, Primož Gams, co-founder of Dogs4motion doo, Srečko Đurov, State Secretary from the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, and Uroš Rozman, Director of RRA Koroška, doo.

The message of the event was definitely one of connection and collaboration. The emphasis was also on innovation and common goals, creating unique platforms for the growth and development of the region. It was also an exceptional opportunity to network and gain insights from top experts who gave us numerous suggestions and shared their invaluable experiences with the wider public.

Statement by the co-owner of Innoduler doo, Jernej Duler: "For all entrepreneurs, events like today's are important and necessary. If we do not come together and help each other, we will face a challenging and difficult future. Cooperation and networking will be key."

Statement by State Secretary from the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development Srečko Đurov: "We perceive the Koroška region as an attractive place to live, work, create and support, which provides its residents with a high quality of life. However, there are still numerous opportunities within the region, which were excellently highlighted in today's round table discussion. Demographic numbers are not good and this is one of the key challenges that will need to be addressed in the future."

We have looked ahead, seeking new paths and strategies for economic recovery and development based on sustainability, innovation and cooperation. Despite the challenges, our region has many strengths – talented people, natural resources and companies ready to create new opportunities.

Statement by Sonja Šmuc, Deputy President for Strategic Projects of DEWESoft doo: "At the state level, we must first resolve the issue of high labor taxation. We must also give talents the opportunity and desire to stay and so that they can build interesting jobs, services, and employment. For this, we need smart minds and we need to convince these smart minds to stay here. These smart minds also want to be everywhere else, and our comparison shows that we offer very little. We offer what we did not make ourselves: beautiful mountains, a green environment... But nature itself did this. We need to ask ourselves what we, as Slovenians, will do to make the system such that our children will want to live and create here. We have the conditions, but our decision is whether we will implement it appropriately."

We also reflected on how we can join forces – business and politics, local stakeholders and national institutions – to create a favorable environment for entrepreneurship and improve the quality of life for all residents. We hope that this meeting was the beginning of an enhanced dialogue and concrete actions that will bring sustainable growth and greater resilience to future challenges to our region.

Statement by the Director of the RRA Koroška, Uroš Rozman: "Three segments are important for the successful development of the region: politics, development funds and the economy. For the Koroška region, which is far from state politics, it is important to make even more use of development funds, which it also allocates for the development of the economy and an attractive business environment, as a third building block. Due to the underdeveloped research field, our young companies often do not rise to the level of innovative entrepreneurship. Therefore, changes and additional support for the business incubator in the form of a research and development environment in cooperation with companies and research institutions are necessary for the breakthrough orientation of the Koroška region. With such an approach, we would offer the Koroška economy and young people the prospect of growth and development in an internationally competitive environment, which would strengthen the economy and community based on higher added value."

The event leaves a mark and is a promising look forward. Within the framework of the RRA Koroška, we will continue to work even harder in the future with such and similar events to act as a network and seek solutions that will certainly bring fruitful results in the long run. Numerous positive comments and a great response from the general public are proof that we are working in the right direction, and at the same time it also gives us a lot of motivation and drive to prove with hard and dedicated work that we can certainly reach further and that the voice of our region will be heard beyond our borders!

Thank you to everyone who supports us on this journey.

Foto: APRO Pixels