Business Climate Netherlands

The Netherlands is a western European country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, known for its business climate. It has a high quality of life and excellent education. In terms of development per capita, it ranks 7th in the world (2009). Also, the Netherlands was ranked as the “happiest” country according to results published by the OECD (2011).

International business climate 

The Netherlands is also known for its outstanding business climate. With its strategic location, it is the second largest export country in Europe, after Germany. Its harbor in Rotterdam is the biggest in Europe, while its Schiphol Amsterdam international airport is the 3rd largest in Europe. Its workforce is highly educated, flexible and multilingual, whereas the country houses large communities of foreign origin, including Turkish and Chinese.

The Netherlands therefore is a central hub within Europe, both for goods and for people. Based on its unique characteristics, the Netherlands remains attracting international companies. It is well known for its holding, financing and licensing regimes and its beneficial tax system.

Due to its unique characteristics, the Netherlands has attracted and continues to attract international companies. As a result, it has an extensive services sector specialized in supporting international companies. Amsterdam has attracted by far the most companies, whereas the majority of the companies are from the US. Examples of businesses for foreign companies:

• Holding, financing and licensing
• (European) headquarter
• Marketing /customer services
• Logistics hub: sales and distribution, e.g. for:
  • Product Kitting & Assembly
  • Green Supply Chain Management and Distribution
  • Air Freight Forwarding, warehousing, and storage for perishable goods or hazardous materials