Dutch government wants to help industry grow

The Dutch government advocates a strong industry in the Netherlands and, through an “offensive industry strategy”, wants to actively contribute to its growth, state secretary Mona Keijzer of Economic Affairs writes in a vision document to parliament (link in Dutch). Keijzer considers it to be “desirable” if the industry’s GDP share were to increase, though it is not a goal in itself.

Technological industry trade association FME welcomes the appreciation, but urges the government to develop more concrete plans. FME chair Ineke Dezentjé Hamming-Bluemink suggests a National Growth Committee, populated by independent experts, to start working on that as soon as possible. She also proposes that industry and governmental departments meet up regularly to discuss which societal challenges need solving and how industry could contribute to that.