Dear Dutch chamber members,
Sweden and the Netherlands have always been close trade and investment partners. The city of Gothenburg, and the embassy residence in Stockholm, built by Dutch industrialist Louis de Geer in 1650, bear witness to this. We have similar sized economies, stable institutions, excellent universities and conducive environments for innovation, investments, and exports. But these are no times for complacency, as war rages on the continent, democracies prove fragile, and a global race for resources and innovation will define which countries have the wherewithal to maintain a capacity for renewal and sustainability.
Both our countries have an excellent starting position. We are therefore witnessing that trade and investment missions in both directions are multiplying. Universities and other knowledge institutions show an increasing appetite for bilateral cooperation. The Netherlands has a lot to offer in state-of-the-art innovations in life sciences, quantum computers, AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, only to name a few areas where we need long term competitiveness. But so does Sweden, with its vast ecosystem of academia cooperating with companies and authorities in science parks and start up environments in several cities.
I am on my way out, to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. A great part of my career with Foreign Affairs has been with Africa. Though I thoroughly enjoyed serving in Stockholm, I felt it was time for a radical change of environment. Nigeria is a powerhouse, and an engine of tremendous growth. Nevertheless, I am sad to leave Sweden at a time where our mutual explorations seem to reach a higher level, and where both CEOs and politicians realize prospects for cooperation, resulting in real business ventures could take off. This embassy, with its innovation cluster, will certainly carry on bringing the best minds in both countries together. I am convinced we will see closer interaction between innovative industries, and together, our countries can stay ahead of the curve, both in Europe and globally.
/Dutch Ambassador to Sweden, Bengt van Loosdrecht
.
Sweden and the Netherlands have always been close trade and investment partners. The city of Gothenburg, and the embassy residence in Stockholm, built by Dutch industrialist Louis de Geer in 1650, bear witness to this. We have similar sized economies, stable institutions, excellent universities and conducive environments for innovation, investments, and exports. But these are no times for complacency, as war rages on the continent, democracies prove fragile, and a global race for resources and innovation will define which countries have the wherewithal to maintain a capacity for renewal and sustainability.
Both our countries have an excellent starting position. We are therefore witnessing that trade and investment missions in both directions are multiplying. Universities and other knowledge institutions show an increasing appetite for bilateral cooperation. The Netherlands has a lot to offer in state-of-the-art innovations in life sciences, quantum computers, AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, only to name a few areas where we need long term competitiveness. But so does Sweden, with its vast ecosystem of academia cooperating with companies and authorities in science parks and start up environments in several cities.
I am on my way out, to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. A great part of my career with Foreign Affairs has been with Africa. Though I thoroughly enjoyed serving in Stockholm, I felt it was time for a radical change of environment. Nigeria is a powerhouse, and an engine of tremendous growth. Nevertheless, I am sad to leave Sweden at a time where our mutual explorations seem to reach a higher level, and where both CEOs and politicians realize prospects for cooperation, resulting in real business ventures could take off. This embassy, with its innovation cluster, will certainly carry on bringing the best minds in both countries together. I am convinced we will see closer interaction between innovative industries, and together, our countries can stay ahead of the curve, both in Europe and globally.
/Dutch Ambassador to Sweden, Bengt van Loosdrecht
.
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