We interviewed selected persons from the economic and diplomatic community, as well as public life, and found out how embassies, institutions, companies and public figures have organized diplomatic and business activities and themselves during the state of emergency, how they contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 virus, as well as, how they spend their free time and what they will do first when the state of emergency is over. Today, we interviewed Mr Saša Muminović, PhD, President of SLO CRO Business Club.
1.How did you organize your business activities?
Coronavirus helped bring to the light of day all the weaknesses of the system, such as liberal capitalism, globalization, populism and human nature. On the other hand, true human qualities have also surfaced, such as sacrifice and capabilities in work and relations with others. This much will become clear: Our values that don’t have to be exclusively liberal and capitalistic. Maybe society needed this sobering up that nature sent us; the economy needed it. This will certainly result in rethinking on sustainability of business, supply chains, and work methods in general in the future.
AquafilSLO in Slovenia and AquafilCRO in Croatia continued production, although reduced in volume in March, with security measures in place since the end of February. We have been using experiences of our colleagues from the Aquafil group from China and Italy, and we communicated our experiences to our colleagues in the US. These as the features of multinational companies that proved to be a great asset in this pandemic. Unfortunately, we will have to stop industrial activities for several weeks as well in April and May.
2.How do you comment on the Government’s measures to help and save the economy?
Governments chose different ways to help the economy, but already the amount of money earmarked for this purpose clearly signals that the authorities take the problem seriously. We are monitoring several countries, and
nobody is underestimating the problem. However, we still don’t know the extent of the damage. All we can do is guess. Government measures are based on predictions and currently available data. It is possible that new packages of measures will be adopted in the coming weeks. This is not long-term planning. We must not forget that people come first, but the preservation of the economy is immediately behind it.
3.What will you do first after the current condition is cancelled?
The Coronavirus didn’t come in one day, and it won’t leave in one day. The measures will be phased out, but there will hardly be any time for celebration. We are facing an economic recovery and problems that only optimists can refer to as challenges. We have a new reality ahead and we will have to learn how to live in this new reality.