Entrepreneurs warn political gridlock, costs driving Dutch firms to relocate abroad
Dutch entrepreneurs are increasingly questioning their future in the Netherlands, citing high energy prices, slow permits, environmental rules, and political instability. According to De Telegraaf, family-owned firms and multinationals say the business climate is worsening, prompting some to invest or relocate abroad.
Alexander de Jonge, third-generation director and majority shareholder of J. de Jonge Group in Vlaardingen, told De Telegraaf, “The politics? They are as slow as thick manure. Our customers are struggling to remain profitable because of high energy costs, slow permits, and nitrogen regulations. It’s enough to drive you crazy.” The company, founded in 1954, employs 650 people and builds storage tanks and industrial installations in the harbor.
De Jonge noted the departure of two U.S. chemical companies from the Rotterdam harbor and Shell’s halted biofuel plant as signs of declining competitiveness. “I don’t get the impression that anyone in politics is trying to keep our industry in the Netherlands,” he told the newspaper. The company is shifting focus to the Middle East and the U.S..
Personnel shortages add to the pressure. “We abolished vocational technical schools years ago, leaving us with too few skilled workers. Bringing staff from outside the EU is increasingly difficult. Our goal is to earn at least 40 percent of revenue abroad,” De Jonge said.
Surveys by VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland, supported by PwC research, show that family businesses and smaller companies share the same frustrations.
Some entrepreneurs are already relocating abroad. Cor Zuidema, who moved to Dubai two years ago, created a network of 450 Dutch businesspeople. “Of ten people I advise, eight only move assets, and two actually leave the country. The second group is growing. The main reason isn’t taxes; it’s lack of recognition from the government. Entrepreneurship is increasingly made difficult.”
Stefan Tax, lobbyist for family businesses, warned of broader economic consequences. “There is an exodus of businesses from the Netherlands. If you overburden productive companies or push them abroad, who will maintain prosperity, jobs, and tax revenue?”
