Members of the Monaco Economic Board will be heading to the Netherlands in November on a mission to establish or deepen economic bonds.
A working breakfast at the Novotel on Thursday, April 6, provided a taster.
Introducing Monaco’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, MEB director Guillaume Rose said that the reputation of the Dutch is that they are good at business but also ‘easy going.’
Monaco’s Ambassador to the Netherlands His Excellency Frédéric Labarrère pointed to two notable facts. Both Monaco and the Netherlands are monarchies and Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, underlining the Netherlands’ dominance as a logistics hub.
Florian Carquillat, deputy head of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which will be a partner in November’s mission, went into considerable detail on the strengths of the Netherlands’ economy.
Income per capita rose by 4.8 percent in 2022, he said, adding that the economy is flourishing and needs expertise on enhancing workforce productivity, as labour shortages are an issue in some important sectors.
Mr Carquillat posted out that most people in the Netherlands speak English as a second language, a fact that has helped facilitate the opening up of subsidiary EU companies for UK firms that would be locked out of Europe in the wake of Brexit.
He completed his presentation by emphasising that business culture differs from French culture in important ways. Punctuality is paramount, as is ‘coming to the point’ in business discussions.
PHOTO: Florian Carquillat
