Poorly performing schools, too few housing for employees, highways full of traffic jams and a zigzagging government policy. These are a number of examples that put pressure on the Dutch business climate, say employers’ organizations VNO-NCW and MKB Nederland and about 50 municipalities.
A new cabinet must find solutions for this, the interest groups and the municipalities write in a manifesto that was sent to informateur Mariëtte Hamer. Nitrogen policy, increasing regulatory pressure and a ‘negative sentiment’ towards international companies are also mentioned.
VNO-NCW chairman Ingrid Thijssen compares the deteriorating situation with concrete rot. “Concrete rot is insidious and it gets a little worse every time and that’s exactly what’s going on with our business climate,” Thijssen said in the statement. NOS Radio 1 News. “These are things that have been going on for years. Too little is being done.”
Competition is increasing
The Netherlands is generally well placed on international comparison lists about the business climate in different countries, employers and municipalities also say, but there are more and more signs that this position is crumbling. Moreover, those lists look back, says Thijssen.
“The Netherlands has fallen on the list of most innovative economies and has now been overtaken by Belgium,” says Thijssen. “A lot of countries realize that you have to do the right things in your business climate to attract companies and keep them. All countries are getting smarter about this.” According to her, this means that international competition is increasing and the quality of the Dutch business climate is under pressure.
As an example of how it can be done, the organizations cite the concentrations of internationally operating companies in the Netherlands, such as Foodvalley in Wageningen, the financial cluster around Amsterdam and Brainport Eindhoven. An entire economy can benefit from this, they write, and they attract new domestic and foreign players.
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