Despite the modest geographical size of the Netherlands, its economical performance is impressive and is worth considering in an international context. If you are interested working together with Dutch companies or are trying to find export possibilities for your products to the Netherlands, the Economic Department of the Embassy will help you to find out how to start or to whom to go. You are always welcome to e-mail your questions to the economic departments of the Embassy in Ottawa or the Consulates General in Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver. Or start with the links below and browse your way into the Netherlands yourself.

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If you are looking for information with respect to import activities into Canada you can easily start at www.export.nl. More than 5000 Dutch suppliers who view your country as their marketplace present their products and contact information there.

Alternately, you might find what you need on the website of the Netherlands Foreign Trade Agency (EVD): www.hollandtrade.com. The Netherlands economical facts and figures are updated, and you find “The Netherlands Compared Internationally”, incorporating new data on monetary and economic topics, international trade and international direct investment. The Netherlands Foreign Trade Agency has also a list of their recent FACTSHEETS on various sectors of the Dutch industry, ranging from airport technology, the Dutch carpet industry, shipbuilding industry and furniture industry to wind energy, the ICT sector, and gas and oilexports. The Netherlands Foreign Trade Agency is part of the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs, which also has a website: www.minez.nl.

www.holland.com gives under the heading of Trade and Industry information on, amongst other things, Congresses and trade fairs in, and business missions to the Netherlands. They also provide background information on the Dutch economy and doing business in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency provides on www.nfia.nl information specifically tailored to companies that want to invest in the Netherlands.

Companies who want to run their European exports from The Netherlands can turn to the HIDC, which represents the Dutch logistics sector, and whose mission is to help international companies make a smooth entry into the European market. Visit www.hidc.nl for details.

The website of the Dutch Customs Agency is www.douane.nl.

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, and offers a wide range of business opportunities. The Amsterdam Promotion Foundation seeks to inform foreign companies on the advantages of Amsterdam. Their website can be found on www.amsterdampromotion.nl.

The Rotterdam Office of Investment provides assistance to those looking to benefit from the City of Rotterdam’s unique location for trade, investment and business. Visit www.rotterdamroi.com for more information on opening a business in Rotterdam.

The Hague Development Foundation assists companies interested in establishing operations in and around Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht (the so-called “Randstad”). The address of their website is www.hdf.nl.

The two main ports of the Netherlands are the port of Rotterdam, see www.portofrotterdam.nl and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, whose website is www.schiphol.nl.

www.investinutrecht.com is the province of Utrecht’s new web site for attracting foreign investment.

Statistical information on the Netherlands is available from the website of our Central Bureau of Statistics, www.cbs.nl.

More information on the common European currency, the Euro, is available from the website of the European Union: europa.eu.int/euro.

Also interesting in a European context is the Canada Europe Round Table for Business (CERT), a permanent forum for Canadian and European business leaders and governments. Their website can be found on www.canada-europe.org.

Canadian companies seeking assistance in The Netherlands can of course also visit their own embassy in The Hague, whose virtual location is www.canada.nl.