“Brainport Eindhoven has a unique position in Europe with its more than 5000 technology companies”

Jeroen Dijsselbloem – now the mayor of Eindhoven for nine months – sees his city as a unique link in the European desire to be independent from the US and China. He said this in an interview Domestic administration. In his work, he says in the interview, he is mainly concerned with what the Eindhoven region means to Europe.

“The US and China are in a big trade conflict and Europe has to be careful not to be crushed by its dependence. Do we still have our own technology? Do we develop new technology or will it come from China and the US soon? Only a few places in Europe are playing a role. This is the case for this region. We have 5 to 6,000 technology companies. What ASML does is unique. The Eindhoven region can play a key role in making Europe less dependent on China and the US.

G4

Dijsselbloem says he found the question of when Eindhoven was “the least interesting” of the Netherlands’ four major cities. “What we offer here is beyond the question of whether we belong to the G4. I’m not that interesting now. It’s not for arrogance. I want Amsterdam and Rotterdam to be better. We work together as regions, but I don’t necessarily belong to such a club. Eindhoven is doing well, and Amsterdam for that. Don ‘t want.

Brainport

It applies to the 21 municipalities that make up Brainport. Dijsselbloem’s predecessor suggested it be made into three municipalities. Not so anymore. “The idea of ​​going to three or four municipalities in the region is completely gone. I don’t care, I don’t care. But cooperation needs to be improved. Only together we solve our problems. Regional cooperation should be more ambitious and implementation oriented. I like to work together, but effectively. That is why I am also touring the region. I go to the surrounding municipalities, because you prevent the conflict between the villages and the city. I don’t believe in that contradiction in this region. The concerns of the residents of Son en Breugel are similar to those of Woensel.

Read the full interview ‘Domestic administration‘