- Bernard Wientjes shared his views on The Pacific Alliance: “There are a lot of chances for the future for Dutch businesses”.
- Executives from Shell, Rabobank, KLM and Berson UV participated in the discussion panel.
- The Vice Minister of Business Development of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia presented the opportunities and challenges of this integration initiative.
For the first time, the leading Dutch global companies in the strategic sectors of water management, agrifood, energy, logistics and infrastructure gathered at MINBUZA to explore the business opportunities offered by The Pacific Alliance.
Executives from Shell, Rabobank, KLM, APM Terminals and Berson UV joined the dialogue with the diplomatic community, the government and academic sectors to share their experiences in profiting from the business potential offered by the Alliance of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
The Netherlands is one of the 32 observer states of the Pacific Alliance (full list of observer states).
In her welcoming remarks, the Director of the Western Hemisphere Department of MINBUZA, Maryem van den Heuvel, underscored the opportunities that the Pacific Alliance countries offer for knowledge and business exchanges with the Netherlands.
The Chairman of VNO-NCW, Mr. Bernard Wientjes, said that Dutch companies invest a lot in the Pacific Alliance countries, and he considers that there are many opportunities for Dutch businesses in that region. This event was the last public appearance of Mr. Wientjes before his retirement.
In her presentation, The Vice Minister for Business Development of the Colombian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Mrs. María del Mar Palau, mentioned that the four countries of the Pacific Alliance are stable democracies with an increasing economic growth and development.
Vice Minister Palau; the Ambassador of Colombia to the WTO, Mr. Gabriel Duque; and the General Director for External Policies of the EU, Mr. Jesper Tvevad, were among the most notable attendees.
During the event, executives from KLM, Shell, Rabobank, Berson UV, APM Terminals and Nuffic shared their own experiences in the Pacific Alliance countries, showing the profitable character of this unique integration initiative.
