Finnish Dutch Chamber of Commerce has published its Annual Report of 2021
Finland and the Netherlands for more sustainable and wider business connections
The Netherlands and Finland are open and exportdriven economies. Both countries are among the best countries for technology and innovation, and forerunners in digitalization. The Dutch and Finns share similar values and cooperate for the same goals in different organizations. Cooperation between Finnish and Dutch companies is active and wide-ranging. Both countries are also committed to ambitious climate targets.
Consumers and businesses have become more interested in sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions during the pandemic which also has changed the lifestyle of inhabitants. The new Dutch government will earmark billions of euros to boost climate measures as the Netherlands confronts the effects of rising sea levels. Two new nuclear power stations will also be built. To accelerate the green and digital transition, the Netherlands and Finland collaborate in various sectors such as energy, bio-economy, and health technology. Healthcare, smart mobility, and cyber security are also sectors of interest.
In November 2021, sustainable development in the industries, energy transition, and potential cooperation in the maritime sector were discussed during the Team Finland visit in Rotterdam. The Nordic countries have wide-scale cooperation in the Netherlands to connect with the wind and hydrogen sectors.
In January-September 2021, the Netherlands was Finland’s fourth-largest exporting country after the United States and ahead of Russia. In terms of imports, the Netherlands was the fifth largest after China and ahead of the United States.
In 2020, the Netherlands was the fourth largest in terms of exports and the fifth largest in terms of imports according to the Finnish Customs.
Finland exports mainly metals, refined petroleum products, and other chemical products to the Netherlands, and to a lesser extent, machinery and equipment, and products from the forest industry. The most important imported products from the Netherlands to Finland are metal and metal products, chemical and food products, fossil fuel products, electrical machinery, and equipment.
Despite the good numbers in statistics, there is still plenty of room to grow trade and investments between the Netherlands and Finland in the coming years. The Netherlands and Finland can also increase their trade in global markets with joint efforts.
The Finnish Dutch Chamber of Commerce, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Finland, the Embassy of Finland in The Hague, Enterprise Europe Network, the Finland Chamber of Commerce in Finland, and the Helsinki Chamber of Commerce jointly organized a live event to promote doing business with the Netherlands in Helsinki on the 23rd of November 2021. The program included topical speeches to expand trade relations between the two countries. The premises at Neste provided an excellent framework for networking.
The Embassy of Finland and the Finnish Dutch Chamber of Commerce are the first meeting points for Finnish companies in the Netherlands. We, at the Finland Chamber of Commerce, encourage companies to widen their networks and cooperate with different networks in the Netherlands. We also recommend companies to become a member of the Finnish Dutch Chamber of Commerce which cooperates closely with us, the Team Finland network, and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Finland.
Lenita Toivakka
Director, International Affairs and Trade Finland Chamber of Commerce.
Finnish Dutch Chamber of Commerce has published its Annual Report of 2021, which includes the text above as well as other important topics from the year 2021.