The Ambassador of Brazil’s welcome speech. 6. 12th BND The Hague. Photographer Maira Ximenes.
By H.E. Regina Maria Cordeiro Dunlop, Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil of the Netherlands.
The economic relations between Brazil and The Netherlands, which date back to the XVI century, are nowadays stronger than ever, due to significant flows of bilateral investments and trade, and the presence of important companies of Brazil in The Netherlands, and Dutch companies in Brazil.
Ever since I arrived at The Hague as Ambassador of Brazil, in February 2017, I have been trying to foster these economic ties even further. Besides receiving relevant business delegations and governmental missions in the fields of transportation, agribusiness, innovation and tourism, the Embassy works on a daily basis to promote better knowledge between Brazilian and Dutch business communities. In this regard, the Brazil National Day (BND) is the most important investment and trade promotion initiative organized by the Embassy.
Twice a year, the BND brings together an average of 300 participants, mainly executives from Dutch businesses that invest (or plan to invest) in Brazil, CEOs of Brazilian companies established in The Netherlands, governmental authorities, opinion makers, Brazilian entrepreneurs, as well as business delegations from different States of Brazil.
Throughout its 14 editions, organized since 2011, always in association with a Dutch municipality, the BND has served as a platform for exchange in many sectors in different regions of The Netherlands. Its most recent editions were dedicated to renewable energy and biofuels (Rio Grande do Sul and Rotterdam, March 2018), agriculture and agribusiness (Santa Catarina and Utrecht, November 2017) and port cooperation and tourism (Ceará and The Hague, March 2017).
Besides building bridges between private companies, the BND has also been attracting significant governmental presence. Organized in cooperation with the Municipality of The Hague in March 2017, the 12th BND had, as its guest of honor, the Governor of the Brazilian state of Ceará, Camilo Santana, who came to The Netherlands accompanied by a delegation of 40 governmental officials and businessmen. The event was also attended by representatives from the West Holland Foreign Investment Agency and from the Municipality of The Hague.
The contacts held in the occasion led to significant developments, such as the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Port of Rotterdam and the port of Pecém, as well as the opening of a new KLM flight to Brazil, a direct service to the city of Fortaleza beginning May 2018.
In November 2017, the BND was held jointly with the Municipality of Utrecht and Rabobank. As keynote speakers, the Vice-Minister of Agriculture of Brazil, Eumar Novacki, and the President of the Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (FIESC), who informed about the Brazilian agribusiness sector as well as the prospects and opportunities of doing business in the Southern region of Brazil.
The audience also heard presentations from the Mayor of Utrecht, Jan van Zanen, from the Director General of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture and from a representative of Rabobank Manage Board.
The most recent edition of the BND, in cooperation with the Municipality of Rotterdam, took place in March 2018.
Officers from the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy and from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the CEO of the Port of Rotterdam, representatives from Shell and Petrobras, secretaries from the state of Rio Grande do Sul and a business delegation led by Federation of Industries of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (FIERGS) discussed opportunities in the sector of renewable energies, with emphasis on bioenergy.
Through initiatives like the BND, the Embassy of Brazil in The Hague facilitates business and investment opportunities for Brazilian and Dutch entrepreneurs.
As Brazil ushers in a new period of economic growth and development, the positive results of BND also show us, more than ever, that pursuing business opportunities in Brazil is mutually beneficial.
