Number of Dutch trade missions, also considerably less yield

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  Albert Bos

  Reporter Royal House

The number of trade missions decreased considerably last year compared to the years before. This is according to figures that the Autovantra requested from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The proceeds also remain compared to other years.

There are several causes for that. For example, there were no state visits last year, there were several ministers changes on foreign trade and there was a outgoing cabinet for a while. According to the RVO, that usually means lower participants on trade missions and companies think they will conclude fewer deals.

The formation of the new cabinet also did not help according to the RVO. For civil servants, it was unclear what the course would be of the cabinet, so that people could not plan properly.

Foreign Trade Minister Klever acknowledges that the number of missions was lagging behind. “It is mainly because of the cabinet change. Then you see that not much is being planned. I also had to get there before I could go on a trade mission.”

In recent days, Klever has been to Kenya’s state visit to the king’s state visit. In addition, there was another horde of companies that hoped to take a piece of the attention that the royal couple attracts. They often have high expectations of the visit.

This is how Rutger wants to grow large with his seed company in Kenya. “The presence of the royal couple attracts Many people you would not normally see. I was approached by Kenians asking if they could come. They find it very exciting to get a drink where the king also walked around. And that’s great.”

The RVO makes estimates of what trade missions yield, with a blow to the arm, because they are based on information that the companies provide. In 2017 there was a significant decrease in the proceeds. The cabinet was then outgoing.

These are the estimated yields per year. The number of trade missions that takes place in a year is under the year:

In the corona years there were mainly digital contacts and no physical missions with the royal couple. After that, both the number of missions and the expected revenues increased rapidly. In 2023 there were again 14 missions with an estimated revenue of more than 2 billion euros. Last year the number of trade missions and the value of closed deals declined sharply.

It is not that a trade mission with the king automatically yields more money. The king opens doors, which will remain closed otherwise, but there are examples in the overview of the RVO where a minister brings in more than the head of state during a mission.

Comparing is difficult, because trade missions depend on many factors, such as the number of companies that go, the country that is visited and the sectors that are focused on.

Minister Klever says he strives for around twelve missions per year. “This year we will try to make more missions. A third of what we earn in the Netherlands is due to trade abroad. So it remains important to help companies abroad.”