Slovenia became the tenth EU country to back a program that helps businesses trade with Ukraine during the war, according to a press release from the European Investment Fund (EIF). Slovenia’s export credit agency SID Banka joined the InvestEU Ukraine Export Credit Guarantee Facility, which gives companies insurance when they export to Ukraine.
The program gets €300 million total from the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), and Slovenska izvozna in razvojna banka (SID Banka) gets €24 million of that amount. European Investment Bank (EIB) Group President Nadia Calviño says this “enables EU companies to keep trading and investing in Ukraine when it matters most.” The facility helps over 550 EU exporters sell goods and services to Ukraine while the country fights Russia’s invasion.
The program works by having national export agencies offer guarantees to small and medium companies that export to Ukraine. The European Investment Fund backs up these guarantees, which makes it safer for businesses to trade with a country at war. Companies can sell machinery, construction materials, and advanced technology to Ukraine without worrying as much about getting paid.
Nine other EU countries already use this program: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain. The focus is on exports that Ukraine needs for its economy and reconstruction efforts. These aren’t just regular business deals—they help Ukraine keep its economy running while fighting off Russian attacks.
The timing matters because Ukraine’s economy struggles to function during wartime. EU businesses want to help but worry about the risks of trading with a country under attack. This guarantee program fixes that problem by sharing the risk among EU countries and their export agencies.
Slovenia’s decision shows how EU countries can turn political support into real economic help. Instead of just sending aid money, they’re making it safer for their own businesses to trade with Ukraine. This approach helps Ukrainian companies get what they need while protecting EU exporters from losses.
