The Ambassador of Chile, Jorge Antonio Carvajal San Martín, brings a wealth of experience and a clear vision for strengthening the bilateral ties between the two nations. With a career deeply rooted in diplomacy, Ambassador Carvajal has always been committed to promoting international collaboration, addressing regional and global challenges, and advancing Chile’s interests abroad.
Under his leadership, and with the support of an excellent team of diplomats and professionals at the Embassy, PROCHILE and the Consulate General in Amsterdam, the embassy aims to advance cooperation in key areas such as trade and investment, water management, agriculture, green hydrogen development, sustainability, human rights and responsible business practices.
Ambassador Carvajal, you have served as a diplomat in the Netherlands on two previous occasions with a few years in between. Could you share your initial impressions of the Netherlands in comparison to today, and your new tenure’s goals as Chile’s ambassador in this country? How are these goals different from your previous functions?
The Netherlands, like the international community as a whole, has been confronted with a world where geopolitical tensions and sovereigntist positions have intensified, where democratic values are being challenged, and with a worrying fragmentation of the international system. As was expressed by King Willem-Alexander in his message to the diplomatic corps and international organizations at the New Year reception, it is a time in which violence and abuse of power are manifesting themselves in many places around the world, impacting the lives of millions of people. We cannot forget the climate crisis. On the other hand, we continue to see important technological advances, such as artificial intelligence, which represent opportunities, but also challenges that should be addressed collectively.
In this turbulent world, the Netherlands has been playing a crucial role. Not only as the host country of relevant institutions for international peace and security as the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, EUROJUST, EUROPOL and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, to mention some of them, but also through relevant Dutch figures as Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General; Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth; Sigrid Kaag, Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza and new U.N. Middle East envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations, who also has a tremendous task ahead. All this is a demonstration of the active involvement and effective contribution of the Netherlands to the strengthening the international security, peace and justice.
On a more domestic sphere, I clearly see in the streets the emergence of electro mobility and the consequences of the COVID pandemic, which has meant a huge increase in e-commerce, with the challenges that this presents for commercial establishments and shops. I have also noticed an increase in the number of non-Dutch-speaking people helping in shops and restaurants, probably another consequence of the globalization.
As for my duties in the Netherlands, these have obviously changed since I was first posted here. The first time I was here was at the beginning of my diplomatic career. At that time, I was in charge of consular and cultural affairs. From a personal point of view, it was also a special period in my life, as I met my wife, who’s Dutch. The second time here, I served as deputy chief of mission and alternate representative to the OPCW. Now, as ambassador, the responsibilities are bigger of course, covering both bilateral relations with the Netherlands, and representing my country in the many international organizations based in The Hague. But I am really fortunate to have a wonderful team at the embassy, which makes my job so much easier.
How would you describe the current state of Chile-Netherlands relations, and what are the most significant opportunities for collaboration?
Chile and the Netherlands maintain an excellent level of bilateral relations, which is due to our common belief in the importance of multilateralism and the fact that we share fundamental objectives such as the defence and promotion of human rights, gender equality, the need to address in a collective way the challenges of climate change and the promotion of open markets. In addition to the continued growth of our bilateral trade, there are great opportunities to further advance our collaboration in water management, desalination, agriculture, energy transition and the role of green hydrogen.
This year we are commemorating 200 years of relations between Chile and the Netherlands, so we are planning several political, commercial and cultural activities to mark this milestone and to give a new impetus to our bilateral relations. To this end I am in contact with the Dutch Ambassador to Chile, Elke Merks-Schaapveld: she’s an active and enthusiastic representative of her country and I had the pleasure to meet her in Santiago before taking up my post in The Hague. By the way, I think it was a good omen/sign that we both presented our letters of credence on the same day, on 4 December 2024. This can’t be a coincidence, isn’t it?
In terms of new areas of cooperation, in addition to the long-standing work on water management and water use in agriculture, I believe that Chile, as a mining country, can benefit more from the Dutch technology in recycling and in sustainable use of water in that sector. Other promising areas in which we can learn from the Dutch experience are logistics and port infrastructure, both vital for our export sector.
Another area with potential for strengthening the bilateral cooperation is that of critical raw materials, such as lithium, copper, nickel. The Netherlands and Europe are in need of new sources of those materials for their energy transition and digital economy. 79% of the lithium that reaches Europe comes from Chile. In this sense, the Netherlands and Chile are destined to be natural partners. Chile has the opportunity to strengthen its role in the global supply chain and attract investment for that sector.
I would also like to highlight that the AFA (Advanced Framework Agreement) and the Interim Trade Agreement signed by the European Union and Chile on 13 December 2023, are instruments that I am sure could make an important contribution to further cooperation between Chile and the Netherlands. It should be noted that the AFA is not a completely new agreement, but the modernization of the Association Agreement already in force between Chile and the EU since 2003. In fact, the European Parliament, considering that this is a mutually beneficial agreement, gave its consent to the new instrument on 29 February 2024. The Advanced Framework Agreement includes a new chapter on trade and sustainable development, as well as regulations on labor conditions, environment, gender equality, and responsible business conduct, to mention just a few the new chapters. Taking into account the importance that The Netherlands attaches to those matters I think it should not be a major problem for The Netherlands to ratify the AFA. Anyhow, the Interim Trade Agreement will enter into force in February this year.
The Netherlands is Chile’s largest European investor. What industries do you see as the most promising for further Dutch investment?
At this moment, the sustainable energy sector is the biggest sector for Dutch investments. With big investments in for example transmission lines to transport the energy from solar and wind farms to the cities and industrial areas. The ambitions of Chile to become a big exporter of green hydrogen will require a lot of foreign investments. The institutional investors like Dutch pension funds are very interested in this for Chile promising sector. If Chile advances in making the mining industry and the refining of critical raw materials more sustainable, we might spark interest from Dutch investors for this sector as well.
How do organizations like the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Chile and Holland House Chile contribute to promoting economic ties?
Having an active Holland House Chile is perfect for facilitating a so called soft landing for Dutch companies in Chile, offering a network of other Dutch companies active in Chile, but also a network of reliable service providers. The Holland House also delivers a variety of services for Dutch companies themselves that range from market studies to delivering translation services and to acting as legal representative in Chile
Are there any specific initiatives or agreements planned to further enhance trade relations?
The trade exchange between Chile and the Netherlands has been smooth and dynamic. The EU is Chile’s third-largest trade partner and the Port of Rotterdam plays an important role as a distribution hub for our products to Europe, such as copper, fresh fruit – mainly grapes, apples, avocados and blueberries-, wine; dried fruit, cellulose and plywood.
In addition to the possibilities offered by the Advanced Framework Agreement between Chile and the EU, an important development has been the signing of a Memorandum of Understandings between the Ministry of Energy of Chile and the Port of Rotterdam Authority in order to use the port as key hydrogen hub for Northwest Europe. Last October the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth of the Netherlands signed the update of the Strategic Cooperation Agenda on Green Hydrogen.
Chile’s ambition is to become a global leader in the production and supply of green hydrogen that will help many countries to reach their carbon neutrality goals. Meanwhile, The Netherlands has been diversifying its supply sources and promoting responsible and sustainable mining. All the while its technology companies depend on secure access to critical minerals to maintain their leadership in the semiconductor industry.
Last but not least I think I should mention the role that could play a multi-year Partnership for International Business Program “Green Energy Corridor Chile – the Netherlands” a public-private initiative funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
Both countries are leaders in export-oriented agriculture. What lessons can Chile and the Netherlands share to improve sustainability and efficiency in this sector?
The Netherlands (and its private sector) is well known in Chile for its innovative capabilities, its focus on sustainability, especially water management and its cooperative approach, which includes governmental and knowledge institutions in the achievement of business solutions.
Dutch companies which have invested in Chile in this sector, have played a relevant role in bringing a valuable know-how, sustainable technology and good practices, contributing thus to productivity and efficiency in the Chilean agri-business sector.
Because of the existing ties and the still big potential in this sector, agriculture is one of the focus areas of the economic department or our Embassy.
Chile has shown interest in improving its recycling and sustainable packaging practices. How can Dutch expertise help accelerate these efforts?
Chile is promoting the adoption of a Circular Economy by developing public policy instruments such as the Roadmap for a Circular Chile 2040, the Plastics and Single-Use Products law, a law that prohibits the distribution of plastic shopping bags and the Extended Producer Responsibility law. Chile also committed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The Netherlands could make important contributions in Agriculture, Packaging and Water. In agriculture Dutch technology can support in the valorisation of organic waste streams. Examples are digestion as a source of renewable energy and fertilizer or high-end valorisation of organic waste into biobased materials. Opportunities for Dutch companies and consultancy firms also lie in the recovery of fruit losses and fish waste by using new processing techniques, in the supply chain of water production, treatment and transport. Although Chile is making progress in separation, collection, recycling, and alternative packaging technologies, our country still faces challenges in terms of logistics, access to input material and demand for recycled materials. Dutch knowledge and experience might be the right solution. Dutch plastics value- chain approach with actions from both public and private players are already inspirational for Chile and can open various markets.
In conclusion, in terms of the relationship with the Netherlands, we have an auspicious year ahead of us marked by the 200th anniversary of bilateral relations, an anniversary that we intend to use to give new impetus to our cooperation in traditional areas such as water management, agriculture and trade and to emerging areas such as critical materials and green hydrogen. At the multilateral level, we will remain committed to defending and promoting international law, human rights, and international security, working at the international organizations that have made The Hague the city of peace and justice.
