The covid pandemic has had a significant impact on the logistics sector around the globe. The Western Balkans is no exception in this regard. Within what is a relatively low-margin industry, logistics players rely on well-established networks to streamline operations. Since the sector is highly competitive, logistics operators need to constantly invest in upgrading their business processes, facilities, and infrastructure.

While many companies struggled to keep their head above water, others were lucky enough to be able to improve their business position in these harsh times. Investing in better infrastructure, for instance, has proved to be one of the most important drivers of post-pandemic recovery. For the Slovenian enterprise Port of Koper (Luka Koper), building better infrastructure was to good an opportunity to be missed.

Despite the covid situation, the operator of the multi-purpose port of Koper completed two years of intensive investment. In 2020, they put almost €68 million in the new infrastructure and equipment, and in 2021, planed investment amounted to €75 million. A significant proportion of these upgrades are focused at the container and automotive segments. The company has one main goal: to improve the effectiveness and the quality of business operations, so as to be more competitive and attract new partnerships.

In 2020, the company implemented two major improvements aimed at the automotive segment. A new dedicated RO-RO berth was opened, and a new railway access platform was built on the north-east side of the port. The year 2021 saw the conclusion of two additional projects. A new, third truck gate was opened, and a new garage with the capacity of 6,000 cars was completed in May.

With an annual throughput of over 600.000 cars, the Koper car terminal ranks among the top automotive ports in the Mediterranean.

In June 2021, the company inaugurated a 100-meters extension of the container terminal quay. The goals, however, are not fully achieved yet, with new stacking areas due for completion in 2022. This will raise the annual capacity to 1.5 million TEU. “In late 2022, two additional super post-panamx STS cranes will be installed at the new container. With almost one million of TEUs handled, Koper is the first container terminal in Adriatic,” explains Sebastjan Šik, head of public relations at the Port of Koper.

A major contribution to Port of Koper’ competitiveness will be the new railway line. Finally, construction works on the new rail route between Port of Koper and the hinterland began in May 2021. According to the project timetable managed by the state-owned company 2TDK, the due date for the 27 km-long section is 2025, while the track is expected to be operational in 2026. Šik describes the project as “the new chapter in the port development”, adding: “With this modern and reliable railway connection, a new chapter of business opportunities and development is opening up for Slovenian logistics and for the countries who rely in their supply chain on the Port of Koper.”

Naser Rujanac, from the city of Donji Vakuf in Bosnia and Herzegovina, did exactly that while fighting to save a public utility company from closing down during the pandemic. In a country where many see a job in the public sector as a good source of private money, stability, and comfort, Naser forged a plan and saved the company, alongside the jobs of his employees.

„I think that the salary of the former director was too high, considering the condition of the company“, says Naser, who became the acting head of the company Gradina in July 2021. He found a company burdened with huge debts to the tax authority and had to act promptly to make sure company is up and running.

Naser faced a company in dire straits. Bank accounts were blocked, and the company could not even secure gas although it was crucial for running machinery. First, he drew up a debt reduction plan and reached an agreement with the tax authority on the repayment schedule. But he also needed to keep his workers motivated, so he managed to secure them and pay rise.

„These are workers who work in all weather conditions. The company depends on their contribution, and we should appreciate that. There was too big a difference between the salaries of the company’s management and non-qualified workers“, Naser told The Adriatic.

The new boss also managed to find a way to settle the company’s old debt the employees. It required many cuts, he says, starting with small ones like cutting the business phone allowance.

“Eventually, every effort and sacrifice for the benefit of the community pays off many times over.”

Many in this country dream of a position like Naser’s. Jobs in the public sectors are seen as a good and a secure source of decent money. However, Naser insists that a public job means a chance to do something good for the local community.

He is well-known in the local community which has elected him a few times to municipal council. At first, Naser was member of the SBB political party (Union for a Better Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina), but later become an independent candidate. Having already worked in the company he is heading now, he knew very well what the problems were.

Just like with many other public companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Naser is only an acting director. Whether or not he will be reappointed for a full four-year term, will be decided in January 2022. But he already has the support of the workers’ union which has recognized his efforts so far.

Naser is confident about achieving his goals. He said: “I could easily achieve the set goals. Unforeseen situations do happen, but with good organization, we will succeed.” In two months, Naser would know for sure.

Data sources are becoming more and more complex and Big Data is being generated from different networks, devices, sensors, the web, social media. Basically, all human activity can now be registered, and the same is true for all natural phenomena occurring around the world. By analyzing relevant data sets and finding the right patterns, future outcomes can be predicted, and with proper use, real-world problems such as environmental sustainability can also be solved.

To face the challenges in the environment, many environmental organizations use Big Data analytics solutions to improve their practices and refine their methods. The main sources of sustainable data are satellite photos and public databases, requiring public-private collaboration – with collecting, crossing and relating data from physical components such as droughts, earthquakes, rains, fires, with data on social components such as light intensity per household, telephone calls, social networks activity and use of transport. Further analytics can show how all these data can help avoid geopolitical conflicts, understand human behavior in case of natural catastrophes or humanitarian crises and understand the vulnerability and the resilience in different situations.

To improve decision-making in both the public and private sectors, Big Data can also be used for ecological forecasting. Life Under Your Feet, for example, is a tool that gathers data from satellites on the global variation of humidity or temperature. This way the study of climate change is more precise. Near real-time tracking of the data can be beneficial for environmental change, in order to make actions consequently to the changes within a similar temporal scale, which is often hard to do since there is very little time. By identifying the patterns of suspicious behavior on time, the time frame of the reaction is extended. These kinds of early warning systems, are somehow the way to improving outcomes for nature and people. Furthermore, the Ocean Observatories Initiatives, monitor the ocean activity and do real-time analysis to predict the risks of possible tsunamis or seabed movements.

With integrating Big Data into government policies, better environmental regulation is ensured. Using the latest sensor technology, governments can easily acquire real-time reporting of environmental quality data. This data can be used to monitor the emissions of large utility facilities and if required put some regulatory framework in place to regularize the emissions. In order to achieve the required results, companies are granted complete freedom for experimenting and choosing the best possible mean. For example, India Night Lights collects data from the light intensity in India to know exactly where the energy consumption is, or the increase or decrease of the electrical use.

Every year more and more data is being recorded, so with no doubt, Big Data analytics plays a major role in achieving a better world for everyone – also by monitoring and controlling future environmental changes and sustainable development.

At the conference, panellists reflected on the opportunities the European market offers for the Slovenian economy, as well as how to increase the added value in Slovenian exports and how to achieve a digital and green transition that will address the challenges of the coming years.

»Slovenia is a small story in the world, we depend on global forces. At the global level, there is a race between the US and China. At the local level, the opportunity for us is entrepreneurial ingenuity and how we can respond to what is happening. Europe will have to become more integrated and stand up to other superpowers. Slovenia needs to engage in lobbying at EU level and, above all, look for business opportunities within this environment,« said Domen Prašnikar, founder and CEO of Valior.

»Is the consumer willing to pay more for something that is made just for them? Rather than doing more for less money, we should use technology to create products that are made specifically for the consumer,« added Zoran Stančič, Associate Adviser at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT).

As Zdravko Počivalšek, Minister of Economic Development and Technology, said in his address, Slovenia has created the conditions for restructuring the economy, which will bring new and better jobs.

Tine Kračun, Director of the Institute for Strategic Solutions (content partner), Aleš Cantarutti, Director General of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Stojan Petrič, Director of the media outlet Delo attended the conference.

Photo: Jože Suhadolnik/Delo

Keynote speaker Kerstin Jorna, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, highlighted the strength of the Slovenian economy, including tourism. The EU has learnt through the crises that it needs to strengthen the resilience of the single market, and that SMEs are particularly important as they are the backbone of the European economy… The single market is crucial in uncertain times, she stressed.

The three panels brought together excellent panellists who highlighted the need for Slovenia to further strengthen its productivity, to make better use of global events such as sporting events it hosts, and to invest more in research and development.

Slovenia’s economy also has its strengths, which are recognised by international markets, obviously. As Bojan Ivanc, Chief Economist at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (GZS), said, »We have a lower price for a product or service than our competitors, while at the same time we ensure adequate product quality and qualified staff. The uniqueness of products and services and the flexibility to respond to customers’ wishes are also advantages in favour of our exporters.«

Gorazd Justinek, Assistant Professor of International Political, Economic and Business Relations at the Faculty of State and European Studies. He believes that the role of Slovenian economic diplomacy in third markets, outside the EU, is relatively weak, and it should therefore be strengthened.

However, Slovenia has a good foundation in the area of digitalisation of companies, said Davor Jakulin, CEO of ATech. Domen Prašnikar agrees: »Slovenian companies are cutting costs and making the transition to digitalisation. However, I see more challenges to go green,« said Prašnikar.

While not for everyone and not something available to all types of workers, plenty of people have embraced their new normal with Harvard Business Review finding that “40% of U.S. employees would start looking for another job or quit immediately if ordered to return to the office full time”. A recent Bloomberg headline adding “employees are quitting instead of giving up working from home”.

Work from home became work from anywhere and the Balkans have long been a destination for the nomadic to base themselves. According to Nomad List, among the go to resources for the remote work set, 3 regional capitals currently rank in the top 50 places to be a digital nomad (DN):

• Belgrade (5)
• Ljubljana (27)
• Zagreb (46)

Coronavirus presented an opportunity to work towards expanding tourism to a year-round industry and no country jumped on it with more vigor than Croatia – a nation that relies on it more than any other in the EU, with about 1/5th of GDP coming from tourists.

What famously started as an open letter on LinkedIn from Jan de Jong to the Prime Minister last July became the law of the land by January. Atypical speed from the infamously byzantine Croatian bureaucratic machine. Nowadays you’ll see conferences and events countrywide discussing everything from sustainable tourism to how to make cities more attractive to DNs to just bringing together nomads and locals to foster community. And it’s not just the famed coast, Zagreb currently has a digital nomad ambassador program and Slavonia in the east is working to lure nomads. The national tourist board even has a dedicated website.

Croatia offers an unparalleled quality of life, stunning natural beauty, rich history, deep cultural heritage, safety, welcoming people and quality digital infrastructure at affordable prices. Same goes for much of the rest of the region as Budva hosts the Cross Border Coworking Conference next month bringing together thought leaders to expand the concept.

For starters, the pandemic helped dispel the notion that DNs are broke backpackers – they bring actual wealth. Exact numbers are tough to come by but research from MBO about American DNs found that “38% percent, or about 4.1 million [of 10 million+], say they earn $75,000 or more” and a survey from FlexJobs suggests 20% make between $50,000 and $99,999.

Because everything went remote, the jobs that are digital nomad friendly expanded greatly but the most typical are:

• Programmer
• Web or app developer
• SEO or PPC specialist
• Social media marketer
• eCommerce/digital entrepreneur
• Writer
• Photographer/videographer
• UI/UX/graphic designer
• Language teacher (generally English)
• Consultant or coach

More importantly, they tend to produce a constant stream of no-cost promotion of the country they live in which can have a multiplier effect on who comes later.
All in all, the Balkans continue to present a very compelling offering to the 10s of millions of digital nomads globally and creates compelling business opportunities for the countries that embrace them.

Slovenia needs the digitalisation of procedures in healthcare and a shift from the current system, which is not financially sustainable, towards a system that pays for health services according to the success of treatment. This is so-called value-based healthcare. At the business conference Health 2021, organized by the media house Delo in Ljubljana, this was agreed by speakers from the medicine, pharmacy, entrepreneurship and technological organizations that enable data collection and analysis, support solutions for the health system. 

Tine Kračun, director of the Institute for Strategic Solutions, which was the content partner of the event, pointed out: »There are three key findings of today’s conference. The Slovenian healthcare system needs a marketing story, but at the same time, a critical monitoring and evaluation. Telemedicine has made some progress. However, there are still many opportunities for process optimization, Kračun pointed out. Still, the health care system relies too much on the systemic solutions by large companies, but suffers from acknowledging solutions of startups, which are the driving force of development. We need better awareness that development can come from below, not necessarily from above,« concluded Kračun. 

According to Tomaž Gornik, founder and director of Better, the corona crisis has given digitalisation an acceleration that has cramped 10 years of development to a single year. 

Doctor Aleš Rozman, director of the Golnik Clinic, argued that the key challenge for Slovenian healthcare, besides digitalisation, remains the provision of staff and reduction ofwaiting times. How would Rozman improve the efficiency of work in hospitals? »I would hire a work organizer, a departmental coordinator, to take care of well-running processes and try to find mistakes so we can fix them.« 

An important realization when implementing digital solutions in the UK is that you need to have a good plan, but you also need to be willing to adapt and fix it if it proves necessary, said John Gwilliam, head of digitalization and delivery implementation at Wye Valley NHS Trust Hospital.

The keynote speaker at the event, Marco Marsella, Head of H3-E-Health, Wellbeing, Aging at the European Commission’s Directorate-General, pointed out that as many as 90% of patients would like access to their health data and are willing to share it, but only if the data is adequately secured. 

»There is a natural flow of changes in healthcare that cannot be stopped. The system will have to change. We are at a turning point. We need a story and something to be proud of. We need organizational and cultural change, the latter in particular. We have a parallel healthcare system, private. That is a fact. However, we must make sure that our public system does not fail.« This is the opinion of Gregor Cuzak, co-creator and co-organizer of the HealthDay.si/ECHAlliance platform. 

Digitization for pharmacy means the transition from permanent drug treatment through cell and gene therapy to a single procedure that often eliminates the disease, said Robert Ljoljo, President of the Management Board of Lek and President of Novartis in Slovenia. 

Dr. Tadej Battelino, a professor at the Medical Faculty in Ljubljana and a doctor at the Pediatric Clinic, uses video and teleambulatory solutions for children with diabetes. Dr. Battelino presented an example of monitoring values in diabetics and remote counseling. “In some cases, artificial intelligence is just as good as we are,” he said. 

Janez Kranjc, President of the Management Board of Prva osebna zavarovalnica (insurer), believes that the direction of the healthcare system is defined by the words quality and timeliness. 

»We all want affordable, high-quality, efficient and financially sustainable healthcare that will be digitally supported. The healthcare system has patients, clients. If we want the healthcare system to be as tailored as possible to our customers, then we need to monitor and respond to the needs of the system. The patient must be at the center, and money must follow. Procedures are not the ones that hinder development, the bureaucratic reality is the one that does not follow,« said Petra Juvančič, executive director of the Manager Association, and an expert on healthcare systems.