ACCESSIBLE & ACCOMODATING

Pieter van Gulik, Executive Director of NFIA UK and Ireland

Strategically located and with superb infrastructure the Netherlands is an ideal location for any business looking to establish in continental europe. Pieter van Gulik tells Niamh MacSweeney what the country has to offer Irish businesses.

The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) assists companies in setting up, expanding or restructuring their European operations in the Netherlands.

As part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, they facilitate companies direct investment in the Netherlands. So whether you are developing a first European presence or reconfiguring existing European operations, the NFIA can help companies obtain information and practical assistance to ensure their business flourishes.

Make The Connection

They can give information on all business related subjects including tax and fiscal procedures, labour laws and legal criteria. The NFIA has relations with the regional development agencies in the Netherlands, so if an Irish company says they want to be close to the German market the NFIA will make contact with the regional authority there who can assist them further. Pieter van Gulik, Executive Director of NFIA for the UK and Ireland is quick to point out that even when the NFIA makes a connection for the Irish firm they are still present working together throughout the whole process. "Once they are established in the Netherlands and once we have guided them through the whole process its not goodbye and good luck. We keep in contact and follow up to determine their experience and only after a year or so will we leave it up to the regional development agency," Van Gulik insists.

Strategic Location

According to the Executive Director there are many reasons why the Netherlands is considered an attractive location to run a business operation. He argues that setting up a business in the Netherlands is a simple straightforward procedure and that due to its strategic location and the absence of language barriers, it is a country that continues to attract inward investment. "If you look geographically we are at the estuary of the Maas and the Rhine and that makes it a very natural place to use as a gateway to the rest of the Europe," he says. This is especially the case for Irish companies that want to have a foothold into other countries on mainland Europe because as Van Gulik points out, the Netherlands is located between two huge European countries; Germany and France. "Because we are a small country we live from trading. If you want to trade you must be flexible, internationally minded and speak languages and these are all the aspects that you can find in the Netherlands," he explains.

Language Capability

As well as speaking English, a great majority of people from the Netherlands speak French and German, an obvious plus when you begin to view the Netherlands as a bridge to other European countries. For Van Gulik the market of the Netherlands is not limited to the country itself, but rather it includes the rest of Europe as well, due to its strategic location and first class infrastructure.

The Value Chain

Van Gulik agrees that although Ireland is a good place to manufacture, if you want to transport goods quickly into the rest of Europe you will need to have a distribution point in continental Europe and the Netherlands is a very good place to run distribution from. "Ireland is an island so you have to transport by sea or by air and you are dependent on the weather. If you want to be sure to get the goods quickly to the client then it is a good idea to have your distribution point in the Netherlands. Logistically we can be complementary to Ireland," Van Gulik says.

Fastest Growing Sectors

The agricultural industry in the Netherlands is a huge driving force for the economy and already there are strong trade relations between Ireland and the Netherlands. Van Gulik also notes other sectors that are growing substantially in the country. "Logistics, IT, e-commerce and innovative sectors such as the medical technology sector and the pharmaceutical sector are growing very fast in the Netherlands," he says. He also reiterates that due to the IT infrastructure in place the Netherlands is a good base for any IT software company, due to high broadband penetration throughout the country. Every country is becoming more conscious of their responsibilities to the environment, especially as the EU imposes more regulations in an effort to combat climate change. The immergence of new energy sectors and the potential for biofuels industries to flourish has not gone unnoticed by the Dutch, with many new energy companies deciding to settle in the Netherlands because of their accessible ports and good transportation infrastructure.