Doing Business in the Netherlands 2012 - American Chamber of ...

1 The Netherlands
Doing Business in the Netherlands 2012
General Information
Location Western Europe, bordering the North
Sea, between Belgium and Germany
National language Dutch
Capital city Amsterdam
Seat of government The Hague
Currency Euro (EUR)
Climate Temperate; maritime; cool summer
and mild winter
International dialing code +31
Internet domain .nl
The Netherlands is best known for its tulips, windmills and clogs, as
well as its low altitude and vulnerability to flooding. Less well known
is that the Netherlands has the 10th largest economy in the world and
is ranked 16th according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In “The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012” published by the
World Economic Forum (WEF), the Netherlands improved one rank
to 7th this year, reflecting a modest strengthening of its institutional
framework as well as the efficiency and stability of its financial
markets. Overall, Dutch businesses are highly sophisticated (5th) and
innovative (12th), and the country is rapidly and aggressively
harnessing new technologies for productivity improvements (5th). Its
excellent educational system (8th in the two related categories) and
efficient markets—especially its goods market (9th)—are highly
supportive of business activity. Last but not least, the quality of its
infrastructure is among the best in the world, reflecting excellent
facilities for maritime, railroad, and air transport, ranked 2nd, 6th, and
5th, respectively.
Why do companies prefer to do business in the Netherlands? One of
the most important reasons is the highly educated, flexible and
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