Demographics
The Netherlands has a population of over 16 million inhabitants. Ten percent of
them are of non-westerner descent. The most urbanised areas are in the west of
the Netherlands. There the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, with
the smaller towns and cities in between, have merged to form the so-called
Randstad region. In the south-east of the country, too, there is a nearly
contiguous group of cities, which - together with Aachen (Germany) and
Liège (Belgium) - form a cross-border agglomeration. Most of the land in the
north, the east and the south-west of the Netherlands is used for farming.
Although there are urban
areas there, they are smaller and more scattered. The regions are characterised
by arable and livestock farming.
The
Netherlands: a nation of Exports and Imports
The Netherlands has traditionally been a trading nation, with extensive import
and export flows. The centers and symbols of this tradition are Amsterdam
Airport Schiphol and the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. In the period
1980-2003, the value of Dutch exports rose from 67 to 232 billion euro. The
value of imports also grew, from 69 to 204 billion euro. Three-quarters of Dutch
exports goes to the fourteen ‘old’ countries of the European Union, while half
of imports comes from these countries. Germany is still the Netherlands’ most
important trading partner by far, accounting for nearly a quarter of Dutch
exports and
one fifth of imports.
More than half of Dutch imports and exports consist of foodstuffs, chemical
products and machines. The share of the latter category is the largest by far.
In 2003 32 percent of exports and 38 percent of imports consisted of machines.
The largest category within machines is computers, most of which are imported
into the Netherlands en route to other countries. Indeed a considerable
proportion of goods imported into the Netherlands leave the country again
immediately, or after brief processing, thus contributing to Dutch exports. Many
of these goods are imported from the US and Asia and are destined for the
European hinterland.
The agricultural sector accounts for 2.5 percent of the total gross domestic
product (GDP).
The quarter of largest farms in the Netherlands accounts for two-thirds of
production by this sector. The agricultural sector in the Netherlands is largely
geared to the export market. The main export products from this sector are
flowers and plants, fruit and vegetables, dairy products and meat. Together
these products represent an export value of 24.3 billion euro. Nearly 90 percent
of agricultural products are exported to the fourteen ‘old’ countries of the
European Union, with Germany the main customer. Exports of agricultural products
have remained stable in recent years; their total value of 31.5 billion euro
accounts for around
14 percent of all Dutch exports.
Business Culture
The Netherlands is famous for its international-mindedness and sensitivity
towards
cultures. It is no coincidence that, currently, almost 200 companies chose the
Netherlands as the location for their European headquarters. Of all foreign
headquarters established in Europe, currently 57% are located in the
Netherlands.
Political Structure: the "Polder Model" The famous Dutch political polder model resulted from a sustained
socio-economic crisis triggered by the world wide recession following the oil
crisis in 1972/73.
In 1983 the Netherlands found itself in a fundamental socio-economic crisis that
demanded immediate action. The gloomy situation pressed trade unions, employers
and the government to negotiate an agreement encompassing wage restraints,
shorter working hours and tax cuts. The remaining margin for pay increases
created by the Polder model was used to create new jobs in the private sector.
This successful approach pushed up employment by an average 1.8 percent annually
and a growth in labour productivity of 1.1 percent a year in the period
1984-2000. As a result in 1998 the country seemed to have recovered. The
unemployment rate had dropped to 3.7%, the national debt and the budget deficit
were well within the Maastricht criteria, and public spending was reduced to
under 50% of the GDP.
It seems that the Netherlands has delivered the proof that a modern social
market economy with a strong emphasis on social justice can thrive and survive
in the face of stiff international competition. History will show whether the
polder model can survive in this new period of economic challenges, including –
as in most European countries - the growing number of pensioners, with a
corresponding reduction in the workforce needed to pay for old-age benefits.
The Dutch Media
Landscape
The Dutch national newspapers take up about 45 per cent of the market with a
total of 2,080,000 copies sold daily.
There are eight national newspapers, not including daily specialist papers such
as the Financieel Dagblad (a finance and business paper) and the Agrarisch
Dagblad (for the agricultural sector). The main newspapers are De Telegraaf
(850,000), Algemeen Dagblad (395,000), de Volkskrant (350,000), NRC Handelsblad
(270,000), Trouw (112,000) and Het Parool (90,000). Since 1999 two free tabloid
newspapers (Metro and Spits) are distributed at public transport stations. Apart
from the national newspaper, there are 29 regional newspapers. Together they
sell just under 2,600,000 copies per day.
In the Netherlands there are over 200 magazines. The major opinion magazines are
Elsevier (133,000 copies), Vrij Nederland (67,000), HP/De Tijd (41,000), De
Groene Amsterdammer (17,500) and Hervormd Nederland (14,000).
Dutch radio and TV are divided into a public and commercial system. The public
system counts twenty broadcasting associations and is financed by an annual
licence fee payable by all owners of radio and/or television sets, the member
fees of the associations and advertising. The national broadcast organisation
NOS is responsible for public television news, sports and major events and for
the overall co-ordination of the public channels. There are seven Dutch language
commercial companies broadcasting nationwide and a vast range of commercial
radio stations. In addition there are 13 regional and over 375 local
broadcasting organisations.
The
Communications Industry
The fourteen major communications consultancies (public relations and strategic
communications) in the Netherlands participate in an informal trade association
named Precom. Their websites are to be found via www.precom.org.
Most Dutch advertising agencies are a member of the trade association VEA. Their
site (www.vea.nl) lists all associated agencies.
For assistance in finding a PR agency in The Netherlands contact:
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