Vice-president of Beaulieu International Erwin De Deyn, who has owned the Slovenian floorings maker Juteks since 2012, was elected its first president.

The chamber will function within the club of ambassadors, a non-governmental and non-profit organisation established last May, which associates business executives, organisations, scientists and artists from both countries.

The business chamber is one of the three pillars of the club along with a commission for science, research, innovation and the academia, and a commission for culture, tradition and art.

The new organisation will focus on boosting economic cooperation between Slovenia and Belgium, in particular trade, which last year stood at EUR 670m, with Slovenia exporting EUR 250m to Belgium.

The countries cooperate the most in pharmaceutical, chemical, automotive, electronics and machine industries.

In Slovenia, Belgian companies are interested the most in tourism, construction, infrastructure, logistics and healthcare, according to the president of the ambassador club Philippe Suinen.