NEW DUTCH TRADE MINISTER TO FOCUS ON BUSINESS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THE HAGUE 000728 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UBI (RREITER),EUR/ERA STATE ALSO FOR EEB/TPP/BTA/EWH (JSTRUBLE),EEB/IFD/OIA STATE PLEASE PASS USTR USDOC FOR 4212/USFCS/MAC/OWE/DCALVERT USEU FOR DMULLANEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD EINV PGOV USTR WTRO PINR NL SUBJECT: NEW DUTCH TRADE MINISTER TO FOCUS ON BUSINESS CLIMATE REF: THE HAGUE 325 THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. New Dutch Trade Minister Heemskerk's positive experience in America as a young student should bode well for maintaining Dutch support within the EU for U.S. positions in WTO/Doha talks and related trade issues. Heemskerk recently told Ambassador Arnall that support for "one-stop shops" aimed at improving the business climate for foreign businesses and expatriate workers in the Netherlands would be a priority during his tenure. He said he looked forward to his first official visit to Washington in mid-June. He also plans to lead the Dutch delegation to the September High Tech Connections III mission to San Francisco and will speak at a Commerce-initiated "Go-Zone" investment event in June in the Netherlands. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On April 17, Ambassador Arnall called on Frank Heemskerk in his new capacity as Dutch Trade Minister. Heemskerk serves as the State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Deputy to new Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven. Given the division of portfolios at the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA),Heemskerk also carries the title of Trade Minister and represents the Netherlands abroad on trade matters. Heemskerk took up his position along with other members of the center-left Balkenende IV cabinet in February (reftel). EconCouns accompanied the Ambassador to the meeting. Other MEA participants included Marten van den Berg, Deputy Director General for Foreign Economic Relations, and Wink Joosten, Policy Officer, Trade Policy Department. GOOD RELATIONS WITH US KEY -------------- ¶3. (U) Heemskerk opened the meeting by underscoring the strength of U.S.-Dutch economic and trade relations and the importance of maintaining this relationship. The Netherlands is the fourth largest direct investor in the U.S. ($171 billion accumulative total in 2005) and the eighth largest recipient of U.S. exports ($26.5 billion in 2005). The U.S. remains the largest direct investor in the Netherlands ($181 billion in 2005),with some 1,600 U.S. companies with �A;subsidiaries or offices in the Netherlands. ¶4. (SBU) Heemskerk said he often reflected on his own positive American experience as a senior high school exchange student in Wichita, Kansas in 1988. He remained in close contact with his American host family and had traveled back to Kansas several times. His American host brother had also visited him in the Netherlands, he added. SEEKING PROGRESS ON WTO -------------- ¶5. (SBU) There appeared to be "good progress" recently on the WTO/Doha Round negotiations, Heemskerk noted. He said the Netherlands continued to favor a multilateral approach but also recognized the benefits of bilateral Foreign Trade Agreements. He said he was looking forward to his first official visit to Washington, tentatively planned for mid-June, to learn more about U.S. positions in these talks and other U.S.-Dutch trade issues. The Ambassador stressed the U.S. Administration's continued commitment to achieving a successful Doha agreement. He also offered Embassy assistance in securing productive and beneficial meetings for Heemskerk during his Washington visit. "ONE-STOP SHOPS" FOR EXPATS -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Ensuring a good business climate for foreign businesses and their expatriate workers, Heemskerk emphasized, would be one of his top priorities during his four-year term. He praised the role of the American Chamber of Commerce and its members' active part in serving as the MEA's "eyes and ears" on identifying ways to improve services THE HAGUE 00000728 002 OF 003 for foreign businesses operating in the Netherlands. He noted the establishment of "one-stop shops" in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Wassenaar for foreign companies and expatriate workers to help ease some of the start-up administrative burdens related to operating and working in the country. As one of his first projects, Heemskerk said he planned to bring together the planners behind these various "one-stop shops" to share experiences and best practices. He was hopeful that such an initiative would lead to better services and a proliferation of "one-stop shops" in other cities and regions in the country. ¶7. (SBU) Heemskerk said the MEA was also exploring options that would include charging Dutch and foreign companies a set local tariff for local services (e.g., security, street cleaning) in their communities. Such a system would replace the current subsidy system funded through tax revenues and redistributed to municipalities to cover the costs of such services, which Heemskerk indicated was time-consuming and inefficient. Adoption of such a system, he explained, would require approval by a majority of businesses in a community. HIGH TECH CONNECTIONS III -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Heemskerk said he planned to lead the Dutch delegation to the September 23-27 High Tech Connections (HTC) III Mission to San Francisco. (HTC is a public and private consortium that includes participation by Embassy The Hague's Foreign Commercial Service.) He noted that earlier HTC missions to Silicon Valley (2004) and Boston (2005) had been very successful from a Dutch perspective in promoting technological exchanges to drive innovation and business matchmaking among American and Dutch companies, institutions, and universities. Heemskerk suggested that the Ambassador's participation could play a key role in ensuring the mission's success, given his own ties to California. He also asked for the Ambassador's support in approaching California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a guest speaker at the event. "GO-ZONE" INITIATIVE -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Heemskerk expressed great interest in the Department of Commerce "Invest in America" initiative aimed at attracting general investments into the U.S. and the "Go-Zone" initiative, which specifically targets investments into Louisiana and Mississippi. EconCouns noted cooperation between the MEA and the Embassy's Foreign Commercial Service and Economic Section in hosting a early June event to introduce potential Dutch firms to investment opportunities in various sectors in these two states, which were hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. Heemskerk confirmed his participation as a speaker at the June event and offered his assistance in ensuring its success. COMMENT/BIO INFORMATION: "THE RED BANKER" -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Trained as an economist, Heemskerk (37) had made a career at the Dutch bank ABN Amro, where he specialized on the Middle East, before becoming a member of the Second Chamber of parliament for the PvdA (Labor) party in 2003. Heemskerk is considered a close confidant of new Finance Minister and former Labor leader Wouter Bos. He was a member of Niet Nix, a political reform movement within the PvdA that sought to introduce major changes in the party. His affiliation with this group and banking background earned him the nickname of the "Red Banker." Red is the color of the Labor party. His consideration of non-traditional Labor ideas such as a local service tariff for businesses versus government subsidies suggests that he remains unafraid to propose and test new ideas. 11 (SBU) Heemskerk's fondness for America and his time there as a young man was clear during the meeting. Such leanings should bode well for maintaining the Dutch as an ally within the EU for U.S. positions in the WTO/Doha talks THE HAGUE 00000728 003 OF 003 and on related trade matters. While acknowledging a need to master the technical details within his trade portfolio, Heemskerk told the Ambassador he was excited about his new position and was confident that his economic and banking experience would prove to be strong assets. He also commented that the new coalition government appeared to be working well together, despite initial skepticism about the feasibility of a coalition among the two more conservative parties -- Christian Democrats and Christian Union -- and the more social-oriented Labor party. ARNALL