Promoting Sri Lankan business in Benelux countries:

SLBBC team visits Holland

Sri Lanka - Benelux business ties promoted in the Netherlands

While addressing the leading businessmen at the Hague Chamber of Commerce, Ambassador Grace Asirwatham said, "The wonder of Asia is in the making, and get your share of benefits by exploiting the extremely conducive trade and investment atmosphere in Sri Lanka."

A business seminar cum networking meeting was held during the visit of a delegation of the Sri Lanka Benelux Business Council (SLBBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to the Netherlands. The visit to the Netherlands was first leg of the delegation's mission to the Benelux countries to promote trade, investment and joint ventures.

The delegation which comprised ten businessmen representing the sectors of tourism, garments, coir products, rubber products, IT services, foliage and plants and intraocular lenses had successful meetings with the prospective Dutch businessmen during the visit. They also received a briefing by the International Business Advisor Danielle Bouwman at the Chamber of Commerce in Rotterdam on the nitty-gritty of doing business with the Netherlands and possible cooperation between the two Chambers to facilitate exchange of visits and trade information. The Netherlands - Sri Lanka Business Council President Bernard Menken briefed the delegation on technical issues relating to business match-making, warehouses and trade logistics in the Netherlands.

The Economic Affairs Ministry hosted a meeting with the participation of officials from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to brief the delegation on matters connected to promotion of bilateral trade relations. Economic Affairs Ministry Emerging and Distant Markets Division Chief Paul Zwetsloot, referring to the GSP+ issue said that he was aware of the progress being made in Sri Lanka since end of the war and added that a report on the present position on this issue is awaited from the European Commission (EC).

The Foreign Ministry representative briefed the delegation on the new visa scheme that came into effect in April this year which is also known as "Orange Carpet" facility for foreign entrepreneurs. In this regard the representative further said that the Dutch Ambassador in Colombo will give publicity to the new visa scheme which would grant long term visa up to five years to selected entrepreneurs.

The delegation also visited the Netherlands' Senior Experts Secretariat (PUM) to explore the possibility of broadening the scope of the Dutch consultancy assistance program for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka.

The meeting was attended by PUM Sri Lanka Country Coordinator Frans Veen, local coordinator S.P.C. Kumarasinghe and sector focused senior experts.

Veen said that PUM is happy to expand its free consultancy assistance program to SMEs in all provinces in Sri Lanka and sought the cooperation of the business chambers in Sri Lanka to promote it among their membership in order to identify new beneficiaries.

Ambassador Grace Asirwatham and Counsellor Senarath Dissanayake associated at all meetings of the delegation. Following the two day visit in the Netherlands the delegation left for Luxemburg and Belgium.