The Netherlands - Brexit: 98 companies moving to the Netherlands already and more expected

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Brexit: Bye Bye Britain -The Netherlands here we come- More than 250 firms interested in Brexit move to The Netherlands

The Netherlands: Almere, -one of
 the most modern cities in Europe

Dutch officials are in contact with more than 250 companies about a possible post-Brexit move, the government said on Wednesday, after Sony revealed it would shift its base to the Netherlands.
 
The Dutch government will announce a final figure in February but “every new arrival of a business, big or small, is a success”, Michiel Bakhuizen, a spokesperson for the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, told AFP.

Japanese electronics giant Sony is following Panasonic in moving its European headquarters across the North Sea to the Netherlands ahead of Britain’s scheduled departure from the EU in March.

While Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during a recent visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he “doesn’t see Brexit as a business opportunity”, the Netherlands has still pushed hard to win post-Brexit investment.

Via the investment agency, the Dutch government is “in contact with more than 250 interested in an eventual move to the Netherlands because of Brexit”, Bakhuizen said. “The number of businesses we are in contact with for a possible arrival is growing. At the start of 2017 it was 80, at the start of 2018 150, and now it’s more than 250.

“This increase will continue and it’s not strange, because there is great uncertainty at the moment in Britain. And if there is one thing that’s bad for business, it’s uncertainty.”

The spokesperson said he would not comment on “individual” cases such as Sony, but added that the Netherlands welcomed any such decision. “In mid-February we will announce the number of companies that have left the UK for the Netherlands because of Brexit,” he said.

Asked whether Abe’s visit had helped with the Sony move, the spokesperson said that “it’s certain that these political and diplomatic moments help”.

However, Rutte warned in a press conference with Abe that any extra investments would be offset by the overall “negative impact” of Brexit, particularly if Britain crashes out without a deal with the EU.
Dutch officials said this week they are preparing for the “blue sea of uncertainty” that a no-deal Brexit would create.

Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that “we have started early with our preparations but, of course, it has become more intensive because of a possible no-deal Brexit”.

There is a famous Dutch saying which goes as follows: "de een zijn dood, is de ander z'n brood". which in English would translate to :"their loss, your gain" - Yes indeed, if Brexit happens, the Netherlands could "laugh all the way to the bank". 

Read more at: More than 250 firms interested in Brexit move to The Netherlands

Harvey and Irma remind us, all displaced persons around the globe share common problems and deserve common solutions - by R.M.

Irma : Floridians fleeing the State from natural disaster

As more than 5.4 million Floridians evacuate from the upcoming onslaught of Irma, while Texans are still recovering from the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, it might be a good moment to take a second, step out of our comfort zone, and realize the Floridians and Texans are not the only humans facing these problems around the world.

The only difference being that for one the calamity came as part of a natural disaster, from which they eventually can return home safely, and for the other, as a result of “man-made “ disasters, commonly known as wars and religious persecutions..

We as humans, morally,  can not show compassion for one human being and withhold it from the other. Certainly not for those displaced persons, who were forced to flee from their home countries against their will and become refugees in foreign lands, and considered second rate citizens there.

A "master race" does not exist. Humans are all equal in the eyes of our Creator. There is no difference if you are a man or a woman, black, white, brown, yellow, African, American, Arab, Asian , European, Eskimo, or Indian.

People fleeing from "man-made"disasters reaching EU coasts

People fleeing from their homes and cities, either for religious persecution, or because they have been bombed to oblivion by either their own governments or others, and who fled seeking safety and economic prosperity in countries other than their own, should not be barred by any country. At least not by those who proclaim they hold human rights and other values dear to their heart.

Bottom line: Yes, we need to help and pray for all the stricken people in Florida and Texas, but must also include in our prayers all those other displaced persons around the world.

Displaced persons from Myanmar,,Syria, Afghanistan,Sudan,  and many other “disaster” areas, to mention just a few, deserve the same helping hand and prayers we usually reserve for our own.

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