Despite high-profile investments like Heineken's modernization of the Laško brewery, overall business flows between Slovenia and the Benelux nations remain surprisingly modest.
The Netherlands and Belgium play an important role in international trade and business in general. Yet most of the business opportunities between these two countries and Slovenia remain unexplored, to say the least. The value of Slovenia’s exports to the Netherlands reached 904 million euros in 2025, or 1.3 percent of all Slovenian exports. Belgium’s share is even smaller, at 410 million euros, or 0.6 percent of total exports. The overall trade figures are a bit better: the value of Slovenia’s imports from the Netherlands is 1.7 billion euros. That makes the Netherlands Slovenia’s 11th most important business partner, with a 7.5 percent share of the nation’s total trade.
Investments from the Netherlands and Belgium in Slovenia are few, yet important. Dutch company Heineken owns the largest Slovenian brewery, Laško Union, controlling some 65 percent of the Slovenian beer market. The group plans to invest 30 million euros in the thorough modernization of the Laško brewery, transforming it into Heineken’s largest and most advanced brewery in the region. A few years ago, Slovenian healthcare IT company Parsek was acquired by Dutch provider of cloud-based services Open Line. In 2023, Dutch chemical company GreenChem Holding took over its Slovenian distributor, Promos. The only notable Belgian investment in Slovenia is the chemical company TKK, owned by the Soudal Group.
Tomos used to be a household name in the Netherlands due to the popularity of its mopeds, which were also produced at the Tomos factory in the Dutch town of Epe. Sadly, almost no one in the Netherlands knew that Tomos was a Slovenian brand. In recent years, Slovenia has gained increasing recognition in both countries—not only as an attractive tourist destination but also as the homeland of cycling champions such as Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič. With this growing prominence, there is strong hope that corresponding business opportunities will soon follow.
