"Establishments of foreign companies in the Netherlands contribute to our economic growth, are good for substantial direct and indirect employment, reinforce the strength of Dutch innovation, keep the Dutch business community sharp and connect our country to international business networks."

— Frank Heemskerk, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade

Despite worldwide recessionary pressure, the Netherlands has maintained its status as one of the world's premiere business partners, serving as a "gateway to Europe" for more than 6,000 foreign companies. Six key reasons explain its continued success:

• Strategic geographical position to service markets within the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa
• Pro-business outlook that is engrained in the Dutch culture, along with a stable political environment
• Superior logistics and technology infrastructure
• Highly educated, multilingual and flexible workforce
• Favorable fiscal climate
• Enviable "quality of life" attributes

The Netherlands is a small country (about the size of the state of Maryland). Its largest city (Amsterdam) has a population of three-quarters of a million people. And yet, it commands a central position on the world stage of economic growth and technological innovation. According to the report of the Economist Intelligence Unit for the years 2008-2012, the Netherlands places eighth in the rankings for "global business environment," applied to the world's largest 82 economies that account for more than 98% of global output, trade and FDI.

Approximately 10% of the Netherlands' GDP is generated by logistics activities. Among the highlights of its world-class logistics infrastructure are the Port of Rotterdam (PoR), the number one container port in Europe and ranking third worldwide on a total tonnage basis. PoR increased its cargo throughput by 2.7 percent in 2008. Together, the Dutch ports claim a 45% market share in Northwestern Europe. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is in third position among Europe's cargo airports and is fifth in number of passengers. The Netherlands is unrivalled in its convenient combination of sea and airport locations and excellent multimodal hinterland connections.

NFIA's pro-active approach in the marketplace is to provide specific business solutions for prospect companies. These include all the links in the corporate supply chain: European headquarters and distribution centers; logistics services; shared services centers; research and development; manufacturing; marketing and sales; and customer care centers.

The Netherlands sees its mission as adding value and economic competitiveness. To those ends, innovation and sustainability will predominate. Correspondingly, the focus will be more intense on key technologies and industries — among them, nanoelectronics, embedded systems, mechatronics and robotics. In addition, the NFIA will support a range of activities where the Netherlands offers strong propositions that create high value — namely, sectors such as the food industry, health care, chemicals and energy.