Netherland Country Profile NETHERLAND

Country Profile Politics Economy Trade & Industries

General Profile Total area Population World Population (in billions) Government type Chief of state Head of government Capital Climate Language Major City

41,543 sq km 16,730,632 (July 2012 est.) 2007 2008 2009 6.6

6.7

6.8

2010

2011

6.9

7.0

Growth YOY 1%

constitutional monarchy Queen BEATRIX Prime Minister Mark RUTTE Amsterdam temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters Dutch (official), Frisian (official) AMSTERDAM (capital) 1.044 million; Rotterdam 1.008 million; The Hague (seat of government) 629,000 (2009)

World GDP Real Growth World GDP (in Trillions) Netherland GDP Real Growth GDP GDP – Per capita GDP – Composition by sector

2009 -0.8%

2010 5%

2011 3.6%

58.1

63.3

70.2

-3.5%

1.6%

1.6%

$858.3 billion (2011 est.) $42,300 (2011 est.)

agriculture: 2.7%

Chapter: General Profile

Economy Profile

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industry: 24.2% services: 73% (2011 est.)

Primary Economy Sector

Unemployment Rate

2.3% (2011 est.) euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7107 (2011 est.) Services account for about three-quarters of the national income and are primarily in transportation, distribution, logistics, and financial areas such as banking and insurance. Industrial activity generates about a fourth of the national product and is dominated by the metalworking, oil refining, chemical, and food processing industries. The agriculture and fisheries sector account for some 2% of GDP. 5.2% (2011 est.)

Chapter: Economy Profile

Inflation Exchanges Rates

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Ports and Terminals

Amsterdam, IJmuiden, Moerdijk, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen

International Airports

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Eindhoven Airport, Groningen Airport Eelde, Maastricht Aachen Airport, Rotterdam Airport First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VVD 16, PvdA 14, CDA 11, PVV 10, SP 8, D66 5, GL 5, other 6; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - VVD 20.5%, PvdA 19.6%, PVV, 15.4%, CDA 13.6%, SP 9.8%, D66 6.9%, GL 6.7%, CU 3.2%, other 4.3%; seats by party - VVD 31, PvdA 30, PVV 24, CDA 21, SP 15, D66 10, GL 10, CU 5, other 4

Election results

Ministry Name

Queen

BEATRIX

Prime Min.

Mark RUTTE

Dep. Prime Min.

Maxime Jacques Marcel VERHAGEN

Min. of Defense

Johannes Stefanus Joseph "Hans" HILLEN

Min. of Economic Affairs, Agriculture, & Innovation

Maxime Jacques Marcel VERHAGEN

Min. of Education, Culture, & Science

Marja VAN BIJSTERVELDTVLIEGENTHART

Min. of Finance

Jan Cornelius "Jan Kees" DE JAGER

Min. of Foreign Affairs

Uriel "Uri" ROSENTHAL

Min. of Gen. Affairs

Mark RUTTE

Min. of Health, Welfare, & Sport

Edith SCHIPPERS

Min. of Immigration & Asylum

Gerd LEERS

Min. of Infrastructure & Environment

Melanie SCHULTZ VAN HAEGEN-Maas Geesteranus

Min. of Interior & Kingdom Relations

Liesbeth SPIES

Min. of Security & Justice

Ivo OPSTELTEN

Min. of Social Affairs & Employment

Henk KAMP

Pres., The Netherlands Central Bank

Klaas Henderikus Willem KNOT

Political parties and leaders

Netherland Economy Characteristics

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Sybrand VAN HAERSMA BUMA]; Christian Union or CU [Arie SLOB]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Alexander PECHTOLD]; Green Left or GL [Jolande SAP]; Labor Party or PvdA [Job COHEN]; Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert WILDERS]; Party for the Animals or PvdD [Marianne THIEME]; People's Party for Freedom and Democracy or VVD [Stef BLOK] (Liberal); Reformed Political Party of SGP [Kees VAN DER STAAIJ]; Socialist Party of SP [Emile ROEMER]; plus a few minor parties The Netherlands is a prosperous and open economy depending heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate inflation, a sizable current account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 4% of the labor force but provides

Chapter: Ports and Terminals

Permanent Representative to the UN, Herman SCHAPER New York

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Chapter: Netherland Economy Characteristics

large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports. The Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The country continues to be one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment. Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001-02, as part of the global economic slowdown, but for the four years before that, annual growth averaged nearly 4%, well above the EU average.

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Foreign Policy

International organization participation

Trade Opportunities

Main Industry

    

Transport equipment Chemicals Fuels Foodstuffs Clothing

agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing Industry Type Aerospace & Defence Beverages Diversified Chemicals

Biggest Company

Food Processing Investment Services Semiconductors Telecommunication Service

Name of the company EADS Heineken Holdings LyondellBasell Industries Akzo Nobel Royal DSM Unilever HAL Trust Van Lanschot ASML Holding NXP Semiconductors KPN VimpelCom

Chapter: Investment Policy

Investment Policy

The Netherlands is an attractive destination for foreign investment, given its open economy, outward focus, sound public sector, good social services, modern and effective infrastructure and a dynamic private sector. One in ten private sector employees works for a foreign company. The Netherlands is an important international investor in its own right, being home to a number of large companies with multinational operations, including Royal Dutch Shell, ING Group and Rabobank. The Netherlands has one of the world's most highly developed pension fund industries, with significant levels of private assets under management . In addition, the Dutch venture-capital market is among the best developed in Europe. Key objectives of the Netherlands' foreign policy are promoting and defending Dutch prosperity and national security. The Netherlands, which is highly dependent on foreign trade, has a direct interest in and seeks to promote a stable international legal order. It has a long history of promoting human rights worldwide as an essential part of foreign policy. Other foreign policy priorities include addressing global poverty and inequality, climate change and other environmental threats, energy scarcity, international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and human trafficking. ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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Referensi

Chapter:

http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/netherlands/netherlands_country_brief.html

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