Almost 100 firms relocate to the Netherlands amid Brexit uncertainties: Dutch Agency  

DUE to the ongoing uncertainty in the UK, the Netherlands is becoming increasingly popular as a destination for Brexit-impacted companies, a Dutch government agency said on Monday (26).

Almost 100 businesses have moved from the UK to the Netherlands or set up offices there to be within the European Union (EU) as Britain is scheduled to leave EU later this year.

“To date, almost 100 companies have opted for the Netherlands, and some 325 companies are interested in our country due to the uncertain position of the UK in the EU, the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFAI) said.

NFIA is the organisation that attracts foreign companies into the Netherlands on behalf of the Dutch government.

In relation to Brexit, the Netherlands is particularly attractive for companies in the financial sector, IT, the media and advertising industry, and life sciences and health, the agency added.

Companies such as Bloomberg, AMBest, MarketAxess, Discovery, Norinchukin, and UK P&I chose the Netherlands, the agency noted.

NFIA commissioner Nijland said: “The Netherlands is an attractive country for Brexit-impacted companies. But we are not the only country that these Brexit companies are looking at. We are competing with countries such as France, Ireland, Germany, and Belgium.

“Our experience shows that when a Brexit deal gets further out of sight, and the chance of a no deal increases, more companies contact us. Brexit remains bad news for the Netherlands, but with Brexit, more companies are going to choose our country in the coming years.”

The UK prime minister Boris Johnson has pledged to take his country out of the EU at the end of October with or without an exit deal.