Economic Ties
The long-lasting partnership between Chile and the Netherlands has created jobs, sound investments, and promising opportunities for the people of both nations.
Chile and the Netherlands have a long-standing bilateral relationship. Although the commerce between the two countries still has a good growth potential, the Netherlands is a large investor in Chile. The Netherlands (and its private sector) is also recognized in Chile for its innovative capabilities, its focus on sustainability and its cooperative approach, through including government and knowledge institutions in the achievement of business solutions.
The EU and Chile concluded an Association Agreement in 2002, which includes a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement that entered into force in 2003 covering EU-Chile trade relations. A modernisation of the Association Agreement, including the trade part, is currently being negotiated. The EU is Chile’s third-largest trade partner.
The growing economic ties between the Netherlands and Chile support many jobs, a result of exports from Chile to the Netherlands and investments made by Dutch companies in Chile.
Companies like Heineken, KLM, Rabobank, Arcadis, Fugro and Philips all recruit local staff and are run by local management, thus directly contributing to the economic development of Chile.
Trade
1.6 billion dollars
Chilean exports of goods and services to the Netherlands
With exports from Chile to the Netherlands of 1.6 billion US$ in 2018, of which mainly fruits, vegetables and wine (Netherlands are the main destiny for Chile´s exports) and imports of 460 million US$, consisting of a plethora of products, there is an enormous potential for commerce between our two countries. Both countries rely on their open economy and score high on the ease-of-doing-business ranking. Chile has a powerhouse retail landscape, that dominates the Latin American retail, is set on improving its innovative capacity and has a strong drive towards sustainability, not in the last place because of its ongoing draughts.
The Netherlands is the 4th largest capital investor in Chile for the past 5 years, indicating what level of trust there is in this economically and politically stable society, even though they went through a rough patch at the end of 2019 and have managed so far to curb the effects of the pandemic with a very large loan (no questions asked) from the IMF.
4th largest equity investor in Chile
Chile has a very professional investment agency: InvestChile, with which we are very well connected. As well as a very active export agency: ProChile.
The Dutch business community in Chile is thriving and is increasingly connected through the recently established Holland House Chile, as is the Dutch community in general.
Dutch companies in Chile are many, and in all fields of industry. From Heineken to KLM, from (Uni)Lever to DSM, but also AkzoNobel, Philips, Signify, Arcadis, Fugro, Rabobank, Steinweg, Nijhuis, Van Oordt, etc. Many of these companies show up in many rankings on innovation and/or sustainability.
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Innovation
The Dutch have been innovators and inventors for more than 800 years, going back to the nation’s first attempts to create farmland out of marshes using windmills to drain the water.
Since that time, the Netherlands has contributed many revolutionizing inventions, scientific discoveries, works of art, and engineering feats. The Dutch startup culture and can-do mentality makes it the perfect incubator for innovative solutions. A few examples include the submarine, the compact disc, EKG, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, the stormproof umbrella, and much more.
Dutch Inventions
Security
The Port of Rotterdam is the external border of the European Union, so goods can travel freely throughout the EU after clearing customs. Dutch Customs is responsible for releasing goods that enter or leave Europe through the Port of Rotterdam and is known to be one of the most efficient customs agencies in the world. This is why the Netherlands is Chile´s first destination of exports in Europe.
The port has made large investments in recent years to buy high-tech scanning equipment that can thoroughly and efficiently scan 150 containers an hour. Thanks to these scans, containers do not need to be opened unnecessarily, ensuring the safety of cargo while reducing delays and preventing unnecessary costs.
Cybercrime is becoming an ever more serious problem. As people carry out more day-to-day activities online, the risk of cybercrime grows. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is charged with making the Netherlands more resilient to cybercrime, and the government wants to give police and prosecutors more powers to fight it.
But cybercrime does not stay within one’s borders, so the Netherlands is working with the international community to increase cybersecurity.
In fact, the Netherlands hosted the Global Conference on Cyberspace in spring 2015 to address the challenges and opportunities presented by far-reaching digitization. The aim of the conference was to improve international cooperation regarding the internet. Participants also discussed standards for safe and responsible internet use and expanding the internet’s role in increasing prosperity and social welfare.
The Dutch government protects consumers even before goods reach the store.
For example, government officials monitor food safety so consumers can have confidence that what they eat will not harm their health. Food must meet a range of quality specifications, and since 1993 producers have had to obtain government approval before marketing a new food product. Laws and regulations guarantee food safety at national and international level.
Once the goods reach the stores, Dutch technology smooths out the transaction and prevents fraud from taking place. FinTech startups Adyen ensure secure payments for mobile, online, and in-store transactions, while Backbase’s digital banking software delivers digital customer experiences for the world’s leading banks and insurance companies.
