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City of Amsterdam

Ask the managers of foreign companies in Amsterdam what sets this region apart from the other interesting places for doing business in Europe, and you’ll get any number of different answers. One will stress the fact that nearly all the European multinationals are represented, if not actually based; here, another will comment on the international mindset of Amsterdammers, and the multicultural strengths of the city. Meanwhile, someone else will praise the excellent physical and digital networks, or the inspiring energy of this centuries-old trading city with its rich cultural heritage. But they will all agree on one important thing: Amsterdam is the director of Europe.

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It’s business stupid

What is it with the Dutch that they have such difficulty grabbing business opportunities in a changing world? We have the brains, we have the money and the opportunities are plenty. Still, during the last 40 years hardly any company of substantial size has emerged next to the old industry in the AEX. Oil, food, materials and financial services dominate the landscape.

We have left the environmental challenges to environmentalists, rather then building innovative businesses in solar or wind energy to help face them. We have exported our knowledge on agriculture around the world, and now that we can more intelligently engineer crops we let the opportunity pass due to invalid arguments around GMOs. Now that “kweekersrecht” is being substituted by patent law we complain instead of adapt.

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City of Amsterdam

It’s business stupid