Minister Fajon: Bavaria accounts for 20 per cent of Slovenia's total trade with Germany

Minister Fajon hosting Bavarian State Minister for European and International Affairs Eric Beißwenger | Author MZEZ

Following their meeting in Bavaria in June and the 34th session of the Permanent Slovenian-Bavarian Commission in Munich, Minister Fajon said she was delighted to welcome Minister Beißwenger on his first official visit to Slovenia. She emphasised that the visit offered an excellent opportunity to pursue dialogue on strengthening Slovenian-Bavarian relations, especially in the economic sphere, a matter of great importance to both partners.

Slovenia maintains close links with the German economy, particularly through the automotive industry, one of the key pillars of our bilateral trade. »We are confident that we can deepen cooperation in areas such as the transformation of the automotive sector, transport, space, artificial intelligence and research. We are connected through a strong Slovenian community in Bavaria, a joint commission that has been active for 50 years, and outstanding economic ties. In fact, as much as 20 per cent of Slovenia's trade with Germany is generated with Bavaria," said Minister Fajon.

In 2024, Bavaria ranked second among the German federal states in terms of trade volume, following Baden-Württemberg, which held first place in 2022 and second in 2023. That year, Slovenia recorded 1.602 billion euros in exports and 1.092 billion euros in imports with Bavaria, representing almost 20 per cent of total Slovenian-German trade in goods. This resulted in a foreign trade surplus of 510 million euros.

Against this backdrop, the Ministers discussed the current challenges facing the European economy, which call for a unified, strategic and decisive response. In this context, they underlined the importance of enhancing the EU's strategic autonomy, sovereignty, resilience and competitiveness.

The two Ministers also exchanged views on the geopolitical situation, stressing the need to advance the enlargement process with the Western Balkans. "Proactive EU engagement in the Western Balkans is crucial to preventing the influence of third parties. We support the ambitious goal of EU membership for the Western Balkan countries by 2030," said Minister Fajon. She recalled the joint Slovenian-German initiative to introduce qualified majority voting for specific steps in the enlargement process. The Ministers further discussed cooperation on migration management.

Minister Fajon also highlighted the sizeable Slovenian community in Bavaria - around 9,000 Slovenians - who contribute significantly to the excellent and friendly relations. She concluded by emphasising that today's visit reaffirms the outstanding partnership between Slovenia and Bavaria and expressed her wish to further strengthen political dialogue and the regular exchange of views on current EU issues.