June 2008 - American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands

CHAMBERNEws
10
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende
addresses AmCham
Following the 2008 annual general meeting the Chamber was particularly pleased to host the
Netherlands’ Prime Minister as guest speaker during a luncheon gathering in Kasteel de Wittenburg in
Wassenaar. We sold out on this one and had to disappoint a few late registrants - over 200 members
and guests showed up to listen to an energetic Jan Peter Balkenende give his views on - as the Prime
Minister himself noted - the special bond that exists between the Netherlands and the USA.
AmChamnews June 2008
The Prime Minister is unashamedly a
supporter of strong transatlantic relations
and noted the inspirational role the US
has played for many nations - the US is
a symbol for dynamism for many. Both
the Netherlands and the US are strong
supporters of open economies and freer
trade. No nation was ever ruined by trade - a
quote by Benjamin Franklin - was cited
by the Prime Minister in this respect.
Openness has long been a character of the
Netherlands’ economy and an important
source of its economic welfare. The Prime
Minister’s government attaches a high
priority to attaining a better investment
climate. In many respects the country
is presently seen as one of the most
successful in the European Union.
The OECD points to the Netherlands
as a front runner in the efforts to battle
bureaucracy and red tape.
Despite the kudos from all sides - even
AmCham’s 2008 Priority Points were
complementary of the government’s
efforts to better the investment climate in
recent years - the Prime Minister sees no
reason to slack in the efforts to look for
further improvements. In this respect, the
Prime Minister would echo a statement
made in the 2008 Priority Points.
“Increasingly, competitiveness is no
longer a government-driven process,
but the result of collaboration between
government, business, labor
organizations, universities and other
social economic institutions. The
challenge for government is similar to
that of companies in a competitive
environment: a systematic, sustained effort
is needed to continually upgrade all
elements of the economic platform.”
An example. The employment rate is high
in the Netherlands - one of the highest in
the EU. But there are still many persons
unnecessarily on the sidelines. More must
be done to get these people off the bench
and into the field - to give more a chance
to play with the rest. (The upcoming
European soccer championships were a
rich metaphorical source in the Prime
CHAMBERNEws
Minister’s address.) More must be done
to lower dropout rates, to ensure more
obtain at least a basic starter qualification.
The Prime Minister complemented
AmCham’s Champs on Stage project and
the Chamber’s efforts to play a role in
lowering dropout rates.
There are many good reasons for US
business to come to the Netherlands - a
country with a high e-readiness quote, an
attractive and competitive tax system. The
Prime Minister will be visiting the US very
shortly and his visit will include meeting
President Bush and experiencing at first
hand a part of the festival of democracry
that the US elections have been called.
The Prime Minister assured the audience
that US business will always be welcome
in the Netherlands.
AmChamnews June 2008 11