The Institute advocates the so-called ESOP model, which means that the purchase of shares is facilitated through a cooperative or a trust, so that employees do not have to invest their own money in the purchase, but it is financed from profits. According to Gonza, this ensures that equity is addressed
succession in SMEs, builds long-term ownership, provides protection against hostile takeovers and fosters loyalty.

Peter Kosin, Managing Director of the high-tech company Inea, said that they decided on the ESOP model because they considered it fair and sustainable, as everyone has the right to ownership as long as they are employed by the company. "The current legislation does not give legitimacy to this form of ownership and does not support it," he notes, adding that employees have become more committed to the company's business since becoming owners.

Primož Kokalj, director of the Etiketa printing house, who is dealing with the problem of ownership succession due to retirement, makes a similar observation. "We have a lot of orders, so our employees will be working over the holidays to secure orders," he says. Through the treasury stock fund, employees have about a 35 per cent stake, but would like to get back to more than half.

Andraž Grahek, a financial analyst at Capital Genetics, also notes that many mature companies face a succession problem, as not all of them are attractive to outside investors, and he agrees that we need a systemic solution. He adds that all schemes regulating employee co-ownership address the problem of an ageing population. "The population is ageing, so future models will combine elements of labour and capital," he explains.