By HE J.S. Mukul, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Indo-Dutch relations go back four centuries and began as trading links. Our countries were at the starting and end-points of the ‘Spice Route’.
Fast forwarding to modern times, India-Netherlands relations have acquired a ‘new momentum’ today. The Netherlands has identified India as a ‘priority country’ for economic engagement. India and the Netherlands are uniquely placed to be ‘preferred partners’ in key sectors. The objective is to take the Indo-Dutch relations to the ‘next level’. Political commitment on both sides is clear and manifest. In fact, the bilateral relations today are perhaps the best they have ever been.
The past year has been particularly good for bilateral relations. Many Indian business missions visited the Netherlands. Major business delegation led by the Mayors of Amsterdam and Amstelveen and two delegations from The Hague Municipality have been to India. But the highlight of our bilateral relations in 2015 was the Dutch Prime Minister’s landmark visit to India in June 2015 with a mega business delegation. At the New Delhi Summit, our leaders have defined a clear road-map for the future. Moreover, the Dutch Prime Minister was a notable presence at the launch of India’s initiative for an International Solar Alliance in November 2015 on the sidelines of COP21 in Paris.
The Netherlands was India’s sixth largest trading partner in the European Union in 2014-15 with bilateral trade of over US$ 9 billion. Similarly, investment flows both ways have been robust. During the period 2000-2015, the Netherlands was the fifth largest source of foreign investment globally into India totaling US$ 14.67 billion. Even more remarkable, the Netherlands was India’s third largest source of foreign direct investment globally during 2014-15 estimated at US$ 3.4 billion.
In December 2015, our apex knowledge chamber ‘Assocham’ inaugurated an office in the Netherlands as a gateway to Europe. The Netherlands-India Chamber of Commerce & Trade (NICCT) is launching an office of NICCT (India) during February 2016 in Mumbai.
Major steps have been taken for connectivity or ease of travel between the two countries. India’s unilateral introduction of electronic tourist visas (eTV) for Dutch passport holders since our Independence Day on August 15 last year has been a resounding success. During the four and half months of its operation, over 5100 Dutch passport holders have availed of the eTV to India, including for exploring business. A private carrier from India, Jet Airways, is introducing direct daily flights on sectors Delhi-Amsterdam-Delhi and Mumbai-Amsterdam-Mumbai with effect from March 27, 2016 which could be a game-changer for both business and tourism visitors between our countries. Opening branches of our banks remains work-in-progress. The first Dutch agricultural ‘Centre of Excellence’ in India is in the final stages of approval. Locating of an Indian university/school in the Netherlands is gaining traction. At the same time, bringing an Indian hotel to the Netherlands continues to be actively pursued.
India’s ambitious and innovative flagship programmes like Make-in-India, Digital India, Skill India, Smart Cities, Clean India, Clean Ganga, Start-up India, etc. provide ample complementarities and opportunities for Indo-Dutch cooperation going forward. These have made a tremendous impact on business and investment climate in India. Globally, FDI inflows into India reached US$ 44 billion in 2014-15. It is noteworthy that FDI into India grew by 40% against the stark reality of FDI across the world declining by 16%. In the World Bank’s ‘ease of doing business’, India has risen by twelve places. Dutch business and investors are well positioned to seize the early mover advantage and be a part of the resilient and strong India growth story.
To sum up, Indo-Dutch economic-commercial ties remain vibrant with robust interaction. The India-Netherlands business relations are well poised for a further upswing to the next higher level.
Embassy of India: http://www.indianembassy.nl/
