STA, February 14, 2018 - The Financial Times has listed Maribor among the top ten European micro towns with the best strategy to attract FDI. The north-eastern region of Pomurje ranked sixth among small European regions. Ljubljana was listed as the seventh south-European 'city of the future'.
Maribor's strategy to attract FDI was assessed as the seventh best among European micro towns. "Making it among the top ten is a major success, which must be used for further promotion," said Brane Krajnik, head of The Slovenia Times, which organises the conference FDI Summit Slovenia.
"The success is not merely a coincidence but a result of intensive and systematic work," said Maribor Mayor Andrej Fištravec.
The results of the competition will be officially declared in Cannes on 13 March as part of the world's biggest real-estate fair, which Krajnik sees as another opportunity to attract investors.
According to Marko Kovačič, advisor to the Maribor mayor, foreign investors are most interested in the town's logistics, real estate, retail, IT, tourism and production.
Listing the successful projects so far, Kovačič highlighted the Chinese investment in the Maribor airport and the relaunch of the RTS media house. In contrast, talks with computer maker IBM and battery manufacturer Shihlien Apex have failed, he said.
Reportedly, the US IT company EON Reality is also interested in investing in Maribor, but talks are still under way.
