The Netherlands is expected to be the best place in the world to conduct business over the next five years. The Economist Intelligence Unit has developed a global business rankings model, which is applied to all 60 countries in the Country Forecast product range and seeks to measure the quality or attractiveness of the business environment and its key components. The Netherlands scores particularly highly on its political stability and effectiveness, its policy towards foreign investment and the availability of finance. Scores and rankings are produced for both the five-year historical period (1998-2002) and the five-year forecast period (2003-2007).

(Source: Economist Intelligence Unit Country Forecast November 2002)

For the year 2002, 322 million (metric) tons of cargo were handled in the port of Rotterdam, an increase of 2.3% compared to 2001. The increase is attributable to the transhipment of ores and scrap metal (+7.1%), petrochemical products and pet cokes (+27.1%), roll on/roll off (+8.3%) and containers (5.8%). The number of containers handled increased by 7% from 6.1 mln TEU in 2000 to 6.5 mln TEU in 2002. Mr Willem Scholten, CEO of the Rotterdam Municipal Port Management (RMPM): "In the current economic situation, stability makes more sense than growth. This can be an indication that the 'tangible economy', physical production and consumption, is more resilient than anticipated. The steel industry and the chemical sector are still doing fairly well and European container transhipment is even doing extremely well. Mind you, I

am referring to the volumes now, because nobody is pleased with the margins. The good results also have to do with our international position. We benefit from favourable developments in England (high consumption, China (high production), Russia (export oil products) and the steal industry in Germany, Belgium and Austria."

Container handling in Rotterdam has picked up again. "Both the RMPM and various companies have invested a lot of energy into realising this. Things are getting better, but there is still room for improvement. We want to remain market leader, and therefore we must reclaim lost terrain." The continuing growth of (inter-European) 'short sea' traffic is striking. Mr Scholten: "I sense some feeling of euro-scepticism in society. This is quite understandable and sometimes even justified; but Europe is the present and the future. Here in the port, we are confronted with that every day. On balance, Europe has a positive effect."

(Source: Port of Rotterdam)