Netherlands

• Official languages: Dutch.
• Geographical location: it is a country located mainly in Northwestern Europe. Together with three island territories in the Caribbean (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), it forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The European portion of the Netherlands consists of twelve provinces and borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders in the North Sea with Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
• Administrative divisions: the Netherlands is divided into twelve provinces, each under a King's Commissioner (Commissaris van de Koning), except for Limburg province where the position is named Governor (Gouverneur) but has the same tasks. All provinces are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), of which there are 380.
• Capital: Amsterdam.
• Governance: the Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy since 1815. The monarch is the head of state.Constitutionally, the position is equipped with limited powers. By law, the King has the right to be periodically briefed and consulted on government affairs. The executive power is formed by the Council of Ministers, the deliberative organ of the Dutch cabinet. The cabinet is responsible to the bicameral parliament, the States General, which also has legislative powers.
• Population: 16.61 million.
• Currency: Euro.
• GDP: $789.7 billion.
• Time zone: GMT +1, GMT +2.
• Telephone code: +31.
• Barcode: 87.

Trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and the Netherlands

The Netherlands is a highly-developed and innovative country.

The most advanced industries are mechanical engineering, iron and steel industry, oil refining industry, electronic engineering industry, chemical industry, food and textile industries. An electric power industry holds a special place in the country's economy. Gas reserves are 1.044 trillion cubic meters. 

The Netherlands has advanced agriculture (cattle husbandry and crop-growing), and is one of the world's biggest producers and exporters of vegetables and flowers. The country, occupying 0.008% of the land, is the second world's exporter of agricultural products after the USA.

The Netherlands has historically been a trade dependent country, so like other relatively small and industrial countries it has to be engaged in foreign trade to maintain its high workforce productivity and living standards.

In recent years, this country has been one of the main trade partners and investors of Belarus.

Trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and the Netherlands in 2012 — 2016 years (in million U.S. dollars)

In January — October 2017, trade turnover between Belarus and the Netherlands decreased by 1.4% to $1.025 billion as compared to January — October, 2016. In January — October 2017, Belarusian exports decreased by 10.9% to $775.9 million, Dutch exports increased by 46.8% to $249.1 million. Trade surplus was $526.8 million.

It should be noted that Belarus reduced supplies of processed petroleum oils to the Netherlands due to low prices, so its total exports to this country decreased within the indicated period.

The Netherlands is the 7th largest trade partner of Belarus and the 6th importer (after Russia, Ukraine, the UK, Germany and Poland) of Belarusian products.

Belarusian exports to this country ($243.9 million) exceed total exports to a number of Western and Central European countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic ($172.1 million in total).

In January — October 2017, Belarus supplied the products of 182 commodity headings, the biggest of which were:

• Bituminous mixtures, HS code 2715 ($291.2 million; were not supplied in January — October, 2016);
• Processed petroleum oils, HS code 2710 ($260.3 million; supplies increased by 36.9% in January — October, 2017 as compared to the same period of 2016);
• Hot-rolled rods in irregularly wound coils of non-alloy steel, HS code 7213 ($82.7 million; supplies increased by 206.0%);
• Products of the distillation of high temperature coal tar, HS code 2707 ($20.3 million; supplies increased by 101.5%);
• Nitrile-function compounds, HS code 2926 ($18.3 million; supplies increased in 5.6 times);
• Saws and blades for saws, HS code 8202 ($12.5 million; supplies increased by 108.5%);
• Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, HS code 4407 ($11.4 million; supplies increased by 135.1%);
• Synthetic filament yarn, HS code 5402 ($11.2 million; supplies increased by 135.0%);
• Furniture and parts thereof, HS code 9403 ($10.6 million; supplies increased by 164.9%);
• Tyres, HS code 4011 ($8.2 million; supplies increased by 88.0%);
• Articles of vulcanized rubber, HS code 4006 ($6.4 million; supplies increased by 167.5%);
• Anti-knock preparations, oxidation retarders, gum inhibitors, viscosity improvers, HS code 3811 ($5.5 million; supplies increased by 30.0%);
• Nitrogenous fertilizers, HS code 3102 ($3.7 million; supplies increased in 4.3 times);
• Other wooden articles, HS code 4421 ($3.7 million; supplies increased by 173.1%);
• Packings of wood, HS code 4415 ($3.1 million; supplies increased by 128.1%);
• Rags, HS code 6310 ($2.0 million; supplies increased by 96.4%);
• Woven fabrics of flax, HS code 5309 ($1.9 million; supplies increased by 48.2%);
• Milk whey, HS code 0404 ($1.9 million; supplies increased in 28 times);
• Acyclic hydrocarbons, HS code 2901 ($1.8 million; supplies increased by 73.2%);
• Glass fibres, HS code 7019 ($1.6 million; supplies increased by 126.1%);
• Residues of starch manufacture, waste of sugar manufacture, brewing waste, HS code 2303 ($1.6 million; supplies increased in 18 times);
• Wire of non-alloy steel, HS code 7217 ($1.6 million; supplies increased in 4.3 times);
• Casein, HS code 3501 ($1.0 million; supplies increased by 103.3%).

Belarusian most promising products to export to the Netherlands:

— petrochemical and chemical products:

• HS code 2707, products of the distillation of high temperature coal tar;
• HS code 2710, processed petroleum oils;
• HS code 2926, nitrile-function compounds;
• HS code 3811, anti-knock preparations, oxidation retarders, gum inhibitors, viscosity improvers;
• HS code 3901, polymers of ethylene;
• HS code 4006, articles of vulcanized rubber;
• HS code 4011, tyres;
• HS code 5402, synthetic filament yarn;
• HS code 7019, glass fibres;

— metal products:

• HS code 7213, hot-rolled rods in irregularly wound coils of non-alloy steel;
• HS code 7214, other hot-rolled rods of non-alloy steel;
• HS code 7304, tubes and profiles, seamless, of iron or steel;

— wood and articles thereof:

• HS code 4407, wood sawn or chipped lengthwise;
• HS code 4412, plywood;
• HS code 4415, packing of wood;
• HS code 4421, other wooden articles;
• HS code 9403, furniture and parts thereof;

— other products:

• HS code 5309, woven fabrics of flax;
• HS code 8202, saws and blades for saws.

In January — October 2017, Dutch exports of services to Belarus increased by 24.1% to $31.0 million as compared to January — October, 2016. The Netherlands provided transport services, IT services and other business services.

The joint and foreign companies with Dutch capital mainly produce food and pharmaceutical products, furniture, textile products of raw materials supplied by a customer. They provide IT and bank services as well as services in agriculture and logistics.

Links:

• Trade Fairs and Exhibitions in 2019.

This article has been prepared on the basis of information provided by the National Centre for Marketing and Price Study of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and taken from public sources. The information presented herein is for informative purposes only. In this regard, it may be useful for the companies, which have been working in the Netherlands for a long time, as well as for those, which are going to enter this market. Any questions, feedbacks and comments concerning this article are welcome. All of them will be fully considered and taken into account, if possible. If you have any information that may be interesting and useful for the visitors of this page, please write to us.

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