March 1, 2021 News & Events

The Netherlands, Your Gateway to Europe

Recently the ECA attended a session hosted by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | Sydney

The session included many industry body executives who discussed current trade issues and opportunities and spoke of the need to work collaboratively into the future. Whilst the discussion was centered on trade overall the following information provided by the Consul General is also worth considering when looking at expanding your markets.

The Netherlands is the 4th largest foreign direct investor in Australia, investing A$54.8 billion (equivalent to 2.7% of Australian GDP) in 2019. The Netherlands is Australia’s 3rd largest export market in the EU, with A$2.6 billion in goods and services exported from Australia to the Netherlands in 2019. Data source: Austrade Benchmark Report 2020.

Open economies and trade are an integral part of the Dutch economy. The Netherlands and Australia share a mutual interest in maintaining a rules based world order, and open markets for trade. The continuing negotiations on the EU-AU Free Trade Agreement will serve to improve the trade relationships between the Netherlands, EU and Australia.

For those of you who are interested in exploring an operational base in the Netherlands to access European markets, individual introductions will be made to the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency – if you would like to be connected to the NFIA for a discussion, please let us know. The Port of Rotterdam and Schipol airport in Amsterdam allow access to the entire European market within 24 hours, and the Netherlands is an important strategic logistical hub for Europe. Using the Netherlands as a logistical base allows businesses access to 244 million consumers who live within a 1000km radius of the Netherlands.
Industry Participants at the session:
  • Export Council Australia | Diane Tipping (Chair)
  • Cotton Australia | Adam Kay (CEO)
  • Seafood Industry Australia | Veronica Papacosta (CEO)
  • Meat & Livestock Australia | Jason Strong (MD)
  • GrainTrade | Pat O’Shanessy (CEO)
  • Accolade Wines Australia | Shae Courtney (Government Relations and Communications)
  • Embassy and Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
  • Frank van Beuningen | Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sydney, Head of Economic Affairs in Australia
  • Dai Forterre | Senior Policy Officer (Economic Affairs)
  • Stephanie van Loon | Senior Trade Officer (Economic Affairs)
  • Delegation of the European Union to Australia
  • Cornelis Keijzer | Head of Trade, Economics, Research and Innovation
  • Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • Jeremy Dicker | Deputy Director, NSW State Office
Embassy and Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands:
  • Frank van Beuningen | Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sydney, Head of Economic Affairs in Australia
  • Dai Forterre | Senior Policy Officer (Economic Affairs)
  • Stephanie van Loon | Senior Trade Officer (Economic Affairs)
Delegation of the European Union to Australia:
  • Cornelis Keijzer | Head of Trade, Economics, Research and Innovation
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • Jeremy Dicker | Deputy Director, NSW State Office