Showcasing Rotterdam

Mayor A Aboutaleb

Rotterdam, Netherland’s 2nd largest city and home to Europe’s largest port, is a dynamic place for modern business.  Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb led a delegation to India in February 2011 to strengthen economic ties and seek opportunities for collaboration and investment.

This is the first time the City of Rotterdam made an official visit to India. What prompted the decision?

This is not our first visit to India. In November 2007, our Vice-Mayor made a visit to India as part of a Five City delegation from the Netherlands. The last time that a mayor from Rotterdam visited India was in 1987. That is a long time ago but you could say that we already have a long-term relationship with India. The reason that we come to visit India now is that we see several of chances for cooperation. Although the scale is completely different, there are many similarities between Rotterdam and Mumbai.

What is the main objective of your visit?

The purpose of our visit is to strengthen the economic ties between Rotterdam and India. I will be visiting only Mumbai, as that is where all the separate Rotterdam initiatives from different organisations from Rotterdam converge and where we see a lot of business opportunities for the city. For me, it is my first introduction to India and I see it as a new start for a long-term cooperation.

The Erasmus University will be visiting Delhi and Mumbai. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, Port of Rotterdam and Rotterdam Investment Agency will be doing a roadshow in Chennai, Ahmedabad and Mumbai and hosting seminars. The Chamber of Commerce will carry out a tour via Ahmedabad to Mumbai and is organising matchmaking. The NAi (Netherlands Architecture Institute) is on a study tour and is organising an Urban Seminar together with the Erasmus University. And on top of that, there is a Dutch Jazz initiative, performing in Mumbai, Pune and Goa.

In your view, what are the key strengths of the City of Rotterdam and what advantages does it offer to foreign companies, including Indian ones?

First of all, the Netherlands has a very competitive tax climate compared to neighbouring countries. Besides, we are a gateway to Europe and via Rotterdam you can reach a European hinterland of 500 million people very easily and effectively. The infrastructure is very good. We have excellent railways, inland waterways and an educated workforce.

What kind of Indian companies and in what sectors are you targeting through your visit and what is your message for them at this time?

Rotterdam has an extensive knowledge of logistics. For this reason, the city and its port can be of interest to Indian companies. It can provide solutions to effectively structure your logistics into Europe. Furthermore, the city is well known as a trading capital resulting in many sales & marketing offices for the European market.

The Rotterdam Investment Agency, in close cooperation with partners on the national level (e.g. Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency) is responsible for facilitating foreign companies in the City of Rotterdam. They can help your company with key figures about the Netherlands and Rotterdam in order to help you build a business case for our city and will make you feel at home.

Is there a significant Indian community in Rotterdam? How does the city accommodate immigrants into its socio-cultural fabric?

In the Netherlands, we have quite a big group of citizens that is connected with India via their ancestors and our former colony Suriname. This is the biggest group of Indian origin on the European continent. This group is well educated and very enthusiastic about doing business with India. Furthermore, in Rotterdam we have an Expat-desk that helps all new expats finding their way in the city. The Expatdesk is directly connected with the Rotterdam Investment Agency that is guiding companies in setting up their business in Rotterdam.

At a personal level, what are you looking forward to during this trip to India?

Personally I am very interested in India. I realise that when Rotterdam wants to be prepared for the future, we need to cooperate with booming countries of which India is high on my list. In the last two years, my people have carried out several study tours and have made the first contacts with Indian organisations.
They learned that India is differently organised from The Netherlands. Unlike the Netherlands, in India science, business and government seems more intertwined. That’s why we made the choice to combine these three fields and travel together to India with a group of almost 60 people, comprising of scientists, academics, entrepreneurs, government officials (and musicians). By having different kind of events (round tables, seminars, meetings, networking dinner) in different combinations, we hope to be able to show our strengths and to make the right connections for a long-term relationship. I am looking forward to learn from India’s opportunities and I expect to be coming back in the near future for a second visit.