Ljubljana, 21 September (STA) - The British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (BSCC) marked its tenth anniversary on Friday. The chamber has more than 100 members, mostly exporters to the UK, and has stepped up its activities in the last two years.
"In the last two years we've doubled the number of events addressing various topics to help our members do business with the UK. Along with delegations to Britain and conferences, we organised two investment events in the UK and informed ourselves actively about Brexit," BSCC director Barbara Uranjek said on the occasion.
The BSCC was created at the initiative of Prince Andrew, who visited Slovenia in 2008. The initiative was later taken up by its first president Kevin Morrison, who was assisted by Stephen Fish (Ernst&Young) and Jan Hovorka (British American Tobacco).
The UK ranks 19th on Slovenia's export list. Although Britain is getting ready to leave the EU, it remains the second largest market in Europe and its 65 million people, simple business framework and higher prices are also attractive for Slovenian companies.
Trade between the two countries rose by 7.1% in 2017 compared to 2016 and British investment in Slovenia's economy was up by 4%, also as a result of two investment conferences organised by the BSCC.
Since the chamber's inception, the number of British people visiting Slovenia has increased by 13%. Visitors from London top the list of passengers arriving at the Ljubljana airport, with their figure rising by 38% since 2016.