A delegation representing the government of the Netherlands visited the city of Nederland on Nov. 18, according to Mayor Jeff Darby.
Darby reported that the visiting delegation included Robert Simons, vice mayor of the City of Rotterdam; Fleur Verbiest, first secretary at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Washington, D.C.; Ramon van Riel, lead for Electrification & Hydrogen Business Development at the Port of Rotterdam; Ünal Sezisli, head of International Affairs at the Mayor’s Office of Rotterdam; and Dr. Baukje “Bee” Kothuis, director and chief representative of the Netherlands Business Support Office of Texas (NBSO Texas), located in Houston.
The delegation arrived at City Hall at 11:30 a.m., then toured the Windmill and the Acadian House. After lunch at The Schooner, the delegation departed for Houston at 2 p.m.
“This will hopefully be the kickoff for a long-term relationship between the city of Nederland and our namesake country — ‘Nederland’ is the Dutch word for the Netherlands,” Darby said.
City officials, Nederland ISD officials, the Nederland Economic Development Corporation, and other entities in and around Nederland met with the Dutch officials, Darby added.
According to the mayor, he reached out to NBSO Texas in June, shortly after being sworn in May 12.
Kothuis and two of her staff members from Houston visited the city of Nederland July 3. Darby said the Nov. 18 meeting was a continuation of that earlier visit.
Rotterdam is home to the Port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe. The Rotterdam area is also home to one of the largest complexes of oil refineries and petrochemical plants in Europe.
Businesses from the Netherlands are the fourth-largest source of foreign investment in the United States.
— Dannie Oliveaux | DannieOliveaux@TheExaminer.com
