The Netherlands nearly Europe’s second largest exporter

VOORBURG – The Netherlands stands a very good chance at overtaking much larger France as Europe’s second largest exporter of goods and services. The statistics for 2007 revealed that the two countries were less than $3 billion apart. The Netherlands placed third with exports valued at $619 billion while France came in second with $622 billion. Germany towers over Europe with a seemingly unbeatable $1,493 billion. The statisticians at the Dutch number crunching agency CBS expect that the Netherlands will overtake France this year. The Central Bureau for Statistics attributes the high volume for the Netherlands to its role as the continent’s conveyer of merchandise and commodities, which in recent years has been a government policy theme known as Nederland distributieland. The policy is best illustrated by the impact the Port of Rotterdam, and to a lesser degree Schiphol Airport, are having on the Dutch economy. The ongoing efforts to upgrade the Rotterdam port with deep sea facilities off the coast (for example, Maasvlakte I & II and the dedicated freight railway Betuweline) has made it an attractive location for international freight forwarders. Exports generated in the Netherlands itself, especially agriculture-based commodities, also increased at a good rate.