International Organizations Membership
Since its establishment, EXIMBANKA SR has stressed the importance of international co-operation in order to develop and maintain the level playing field within the system of Official Support of Export fully respecting global standards. EXIMBANKA SR participates actively at the process of creating and amending the international rules, by which it is committed. They are created at the level of the OECD and EU working groups and within other international platforms. Cooperation with foreign export credit institutions is equally important as it brings mainly sufficient information about their experience at the official export support implementation and new trends in the area.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
EXIMBANKA SR represents the Slovak Republic in OECD at the Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees (ECG) and the working group of Participants to the OECD Arrangement (OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits). Both working groups meet approximately three times a year and approve all changes to the rules for granting officially supported export credits. The representative of EXIMBANKA SR, Ms. Silvia Gavorníková, Director of the International Relations Department, was in 2018 re-elected for the fifth time by the Member States the Chairman of the ECG Working Party.
Working Party of the Council of the European Union
EXIMBANKA SR represents the Slovak Republic also in the EU Council Working Group on Export Credits and Guarantees (CWG ECG) in Brussels. Besides the exchange of experience and information on an ongoing basis, during the meetings, the formal position of the EU Member States is being formed for the OECD meetings. During the Slovakia´s presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2016 EXIMBANKA SR led this Working Group.
Berne Union and Prague Club
The Berne Union (BU) of Credit and Investment Insurers associates 84 members from 73 countries in the world, which in 2018 insured USD 2,3 trillion of exports and investments – more than 13% of international trade. The members of the BU are not countries but particular organizations, whether private or state. The BU’s main goal is to exchange information on potential risks in cross-border operations and share experience in selected territories with selected buyers. The Prague Club was established in the 1990s, mainly for ECAs from Central and Eastern Europe countries that started to perform their activity in this area at that time and needed to set their procedures and internal rules on the basis of the best experience. EXIMBANKA SR was one of the co-founders of Prague Club. In 2015 the Prague Club merged with Berne Union, where it currently works as one of its committees. At present, the Committee serves as a platform for the meetings of export and credit institutions from various countries not achieving the turnovers of BU Members and currently has 38 members.
The Berne Union and the Prague Club annually organize several professional seminars for their members aimed at the exchange of practical experience in business transactions. In 2018, specialized seminars were held, which were dedicated to supporting SMEs through the instruments of government ECAs, as well as to the issue of project finance.