High Expectations for Dutch Ambassador
She has also spent time in Brussels and the Netherlands working for the EC/EU, the Council of Europe, and the FAO. Regarding her professional experience and mission here, she remarked: “Obviously the European experience, working in the Commission, has helped me to understand better the levels of bureaucracy and difficulties Romania has to face. In most countries I have worked on trade issues, mainly setting up trade offices and trade relations. I think we have very strong bilateral economic ties with Romania, which is what attracts me to this post. So developing, maintaining and improving our trade relations is one of my objectives here.”
The Ambassador wants to focus on “win-win” issues for both countries. Another goal of the Dutch Embassy here is to improve the image of Romania in the Netherlands: “It’s not my task primarily, but it’s a consequence of us being able to operate here. Romania has a number of issues that are valuable and good, and they also should be highlighted. So for Dutch enterprises to have confidence to come here and invest rather than anywhere else, we need them to know more about Romania, other than it is financially worthwhile.” The Ambassador noted that Romania has a lot of economic potential, “not least because of the hard-working character of the Romanians and their level of education.” One area where she sees room for expanded cooperation between the two countries is in the agriculture sector. In particular, there are opportunities in production, added value, industrialization or semi-industrialization for products such as dairy, meats, vegetables, flowers, and horticulture: “It’s partly covered, but it could be given even more attention. We are here already as we are a country of services – we can still improve where we are, but I think we should definitely improve more in the agriculture side.”
Though Romania and the Netherlands have disparities in size and population – and are situated at opposite ends of the European continent – their bilateral partnership is nevertheless a strategic one. For Romania, the Netherlands is by far its largest investor, with over 3,500 registered Dutch companies and a volume of investment totaling 3.7 billion Euro. For the Netherlands, Romania is a large and important market, one highly attractive for Dutch companies and investors, especially in financial services, banking, transport, infrastructure, oil, and water management. However, the economic crisis is sure to have an impact on these numbers for 2009 and 2010. Speaking on the crisis, the Ambassador acknowledged that the Netherlands currently has a severe internal debt, which may impact capital flows and FDI from the Netherlands to other markets: “the crisis is less painful because we have good social institutions and legislation. Nevertheless, it will take some time for us to get out, and we will suffer the severe consequences of the crisis. But Dutch investment will go where it finds the benefits.”
In recent years, the Netherlands has been an outspoken critic of the pace of judicial reforms and the lack of progress towards a more “enabling environment” in Romania. But as Ambassador Van Gool sees it, this criticism is a sign of a strong, healthy relationship between European partners: “I always say when you are friends, you are entitled to criticize each other, otherwise you’re not friends; if you do not care about the other partner, then you don’t care what happens. But we do care about Romania a lot, so we do criticize when it comes to legislation or home affairs or application of the laws. We are known for that. It’s a reputation that we didn’t want to have, but we have obtained it.” Greater progress towards reforms is not only a political issue but also an economic one, which has consequences for foreign investment in Romania. “You know, if you get the stigma that this is not working well, people become afraid. They lose lots of money and they lose cases, and that will cost them, especially if they think they cannot get out of the investment. So there has to be trust.” Though obstacles remain, she acknowledges that political and economic reform is a long process and that Romania has indeed come a long way.
Though Ambassador Van Gool has been in Romania for only a couple of months, she is excited by what she has found here thus far. In the months ahead, she plans to make several trips around the country. The Ambassador has been pleasantly surprised by richness of city life in Bucharest: “It’s green with lots of parks. And the culture – there’s so much I can’t even attend. And I just love the cafes.”
The Ambassador wants to focus on “win-win” issues for both countries. Another goal of the Dutch Embassy here is to improve the image of Romania in the Netherlands: “It’s not my task primarily, but it’s a consequence of us being able to operate here. Romania has a number of issues that are valuable and good, and they also should be highlighted. So for Dutch enterprises to have confidence to come here and invest rather than anywhere else, we need them to know more about Romania, other than it is financially worthwhile.” The Ambassador noted that Romania has a lot of economic potential, “not least because of the hard-working character of the Romanians and their level of education.” One area where she sees room for expanded cooperation between the two countries is in the agriculture sector. In particular, there are opportunities in production, added value, industrialization or semi-industrialization for products such as dairy, meats, vegetables, flowers, and horticulture: “It’s partly covered, but it could be given even more attention. We are here already as we are a country of services – we can still improve where we are, but I think we should definitely improve more in the agriculture side.”
Though Romania and the Netherlands have disparities in size and population – and are situated at opposite ends of the European continent – their bilateral partnership is nevertheless a strategic one. For Romania, the Netherlands is by far its largest investor, with over 3,500 registered Dutch companies and a volume of investment totaling 3.7 billion Euro. For the Netherlands, Romania is a large and important market, one highly attractive for Dutch companies and investors, especially in financial services, banking, transport, infrastructure, oil, and water management. However, the economic crisis is sure to have an impact on these numbers for 2009 and 2010. Speaking on the crisis, the Ambassador acknowledged that the Netherlands currently has a severe internal debt, which may impact capital flows and FDI from the Netherlands to other markets: “the crisis is less painful because we have good social institutions and legislation. Nevertheless, it will take some time for us to get out, and we will suffer the severe consequences of the crisis. But Dutch investment will go where it finds the benefits.”
In recent years, the Netherlands has been an outspoken critic of the pace of judicial reforms and the lack of progress towards a more “enabling environment” in Romania. But as Ambassador Van Gool sees it, this criticism is a sign of a strong, healthy relationship between European partners: “I always say when you are friends, you are entitled to criticize each other, otherwise you’re not friends; if you do not care about the other partner, then you don’t care what happens. But we do care about Romania a lot, so we do criticize when it comes to legislation or home affairs or application of the laws. We are known for that. It’s a reputation that we didn’t want to have, but we have obtained it.” Greater progress towards reforms is not only a political issue but also an economic one, which has consequences for foreign investment in Romania. “You know, if you get the stigma that this is not working well, people become afraid. They lose lots of money and they lose cases, and that will cost them, especially if they think they cannot get out of the investment. So there has to be trust.” Though obstacles remain, she acknowledges that political and economic reform is a long process and that Romania has indeed come a long way.
Though Ambassador Van Gool has been in Romania for only a couple of months, she is excited by what she has found here thus far. In the months ahead, she plans to make several trips around the country. The Ambassador has been pleasantly surprised by richness of city life in Bucharest: “It’s green with lots of parks. And the culture – there’s so much I can’t even attend. And I just love the cafes.”
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