By Guido Lanfranchi.
On May 15th, 2018, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam hosted the launching event for the newly established Bilateral Chamber of Commerce of El Salvador and the Netherlands, which is set to play a pivotal role in enhancing business contacts between the two countries.
Since May 15th, 2018, businesses from El Salvador and the Netherlands willing to expand their activities in the other country are able to benefit from a new facilitating institution: the newly established Bilateral Chamber of Commerce of El Salvador and the Netherlands.
During her opening speech, the President and Honorary Consul of El Salvador in the Netherlands, Ms. Sonia Meijer said: “It has not been an easy job to build this Chamber of Commerce because of the Dutch Privacy laws, but we managed to find 118 Dutch companies that have done and still have trade with El Salvador. Additionally we found 226 Salvadoran companies which could very well export to the Netherlands, but there are a lot more.”
In the Chamber’s first newsletter, Ms. Sonia Meijer expressed her gratitude to H.E. Mr. Agustín Vásquez Gómez, Ambassador of El Salvador to the Netherlands, and all the participants to the launching event, as well as to Ms. Sandra Morales, from the Salvadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ms. Vanesa Bandak, representative of PROESA.
In the newsletter there was also space for the successful experience of the Salvadorian company “Caposa Plants.” Only a few months after the Chamber’s establishment, Caposa’s Raquel Jean Diaz described how the Bilateral Chamber provided her company with additional opportunities for exporting Salvadorian plants to the Netherlands. Moreover, the Chamber’s staff announced an upcoming fair, Chocoa 2019, which will take place in Amsterdam in February 2019. In this venue, businesses involved in the chocolate supply chain will be able to gather, network, and discuss their strategy.
The import of El Salvador from the Netherlands in 2016 was $ 29.479.300 and the export of El Salvador to the Netherlands was of $ 32 .869 .000
In the light of the many opportunities arising from this newly established institution, the staff is currently inviting companies to become members of the Chamber. The cost of membership is of 50 euros per year, and it comes with a wide list of services. Among the many opportunities, there is the possibility to meet and negotiate with the two country’s businessmen and experts in different sectors, participate to business fairs and events, as well as keeping contacts with other members of the Chamber and confront the companies’ inventories and needs.
