Relations between Switzerland and Slovenia are excellent. They are characterised by significant economic, scientific and cultural exchanges, formalised through a series of bilateral agreements. As Alpine countries, Slovenia and Switzerland have much in common, and their constructive cooperation within international organisations is evidence of their shared values.
Switzerland and Slovenia are linked by a number of agreements and conventions, notably on investment protection, double taxation and social security. In 2008, they signed an agreement on scientific and technical cooperation.
Slovenia and Switzerland share views on many issues, allowing them to cooperate on multilateral and humanitarian policy, for example during their concurrent memberships of the UN Security Council in 2024.
Economic relations between Switzerland and Slovenia are very productive, and trade between the two countries has increased significantly in recent years. Between 2017 and 2022, bilateral trade increased 1900 %, making Switzerland Slovenia's largest trading partner in 2022, with a trade volume of CHF 18.2 billion. In 2024, trade in goods once again broke records, with a total value of CHF 44.3 billion. In 2024, Slovenia also became Switzerland's third-largest trading partner, not counting the gold trade. The pharmaceutical and chemical sectors account for the bulk of exports between the two countries.
Switzerland is Slovenia's third biggest foreign investor after Austria and Luxembourg. About 40 Swiss companies currently operate in Slovenia.
The rapid growth in economic relations between the two nations also offers opportunities for scientific cooperation and for positioning Switzerland as a country of innovation.
Trade promotion, Switzerland Global Enterprise
Since 2011, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has supported 43 projects by Swiss researchers that involved direct cooperation with Slovenia. A Lead Agency agreement between the SNSF and the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS) was signed in February 2019.
Researchers and artists who are citizens of Slovenia can apply to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships.
Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS)
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)
As an EU member state, Slovenia was one of the beneficiaries of the Swiss contribution aimed at reducing economic and social disparities in the enlarged EU. Between 2007 and 2017, Switzerland contributed to the implementation of eight projects, providing CHF 21.9 million in funding. This financial aid was governed by the framework agreement dated 20 December 2007 between Slovenia and Switzerland.
The programme in Slovenia was overseen by the Swiss Embassy in Ljubljana. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) were responsible for approving the projects.
As part of the second Swiss contribution, CHF 16 million have been allocated until 2029 to projects in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energies. The corresponding framework agreement was signed on 28 August 2023 in Ljubljana by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and the Slovenian Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, Aleksander Jevšek. On 11 April 2025 in Ljubljana, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin signed the agreement on the implementation of the second Swiss contribution.
Slovenia – A partner country for Switzerland’s contribution to the enlarged EU
Cultural exchanges between the two nations are very active, with Swiss and Slovenian musicians, writers and artists regularly organising cultural events in each other's countries.
In 2018, the cooperation between Pro Helvetia and Austrian Libraries Abroad was extended to Slovenia. At the Austrian Library, which is part of the University of Maribor Library, the Swiss embassy has opened a space dedicated to Swiss literature which also serves as a cultural platform for public readings and events.
According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, there were 498 Swiss nationals living in Slovenia and 9,351 Slovenian nationals living in Switzerland in 2024.
Diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Slovenia were established in January 1992. Slovenia has had an embassy in Bern since then, while Switzerland has had an embassy in Ljubljana since 2001.
During the transition phase in the 1990s, Switzerland supported a project to modernise the Slovenian administration, which led to the creation of an institute to train administrative experts.
Last update 05.08.2025
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