First trade mission to the UK since Brexit

For the first time since the United Kingdom left the European Union, a Dutch trade mission with ministers will head to the country on the other side of the North Sea on Monday. The United Kingdom is one of the most important trading partners of the Netherlands.

45 Dutch companies take part in the two-day mission to London by Minister Liesje Schreinemacher (Foreign Trade) and Foreign Minister Vivianne Heijnen (Infrastructure). Sustainable mobility and artificial intelligence are central to the mission.

The British officially left the European Union at the beginning of 2020. It was still a transitional year, and therefore the British still adhere to the rules of the European Union. But since last year, trading has become more difficult. There is more paperwork at the border and delivery times and costs have increased.

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Increase export services

Trade between countries did not suffer much. Merchandise exports to the UK fell slightly last year compared to 2020, but services exports rose sharply. Imports also increased. The UK is the third export destination for Dutch goods after Germany and Belgium. Goods transit through the Netherlands to the UK has fallen sharply since Brexit. Presumably these things were now imported directly by the British.

Machinery, appliances and petroleum products mainly go to the UK. The Dutch business community mainly imports manufactured goods, chemical products, machinery and pharmaceutical products from the UK. Minister Schrenmacher’s agenda also includes a meeting with her British counterpart Kimi Badnoch from international trade.

Also read | European Union countries import 150 percent more than last year