Toespraak minister Schultz van Haegen op het AmCham Event

Toespraak | 25-06-2014

Thank you very much, Mr Mikkelsen, for that kind introduction.

And thank you, Mr Ambassador, as well.
I would like to reflect on the important things you said from my own experience.
But first, let me tell you a story from the year 1953.

It is about a nineteen-year-old boy from California, named Harry Morgan.
One February evening he was sitting at the cinema, waiting for the movie to begin.
But before it started, he saw a news item.
An newsreel about terrible floods in a small, faraway country.

That country was the Netherlands.
Right there, at that moment, Harry Morgan decided to help.

But since he had no money, he didn’t know how.
So he took his bicycle and started pedalling and hitchhiking east.

After three days he arrived in Chicago, where he heard a contest on a local radio station.
He called in and amazingly, he won a plane ticket to a European city of his choice!

So, a couple of days he arrived in Holland, travelled to the flooded areas and started to help.
He filled sandbags, brought supplies to people in need, and found shelter for people who’d been homeless.
He wanted to make a difference:
to people he didn’t know,
in a country he only knew from a cinema screen.

After six months of volunteer relief work in the Netherlands, Harry Morgan travelled back to the United States.
But, he came back.
Together with others he founded an international foundation for young volunteers.

And he initiated an exchange program for Dutch and American students.

Harry Morgan made a lasting impact on Dutch-American relations.
An impact that started with a newsreel.
And with water.

To me it is only a small step from Harry Morgan to today.
Because a huge part of the Dutch-American relationship, both in business and political, is about water.

And that is also the lens through which I would like to look at our relationship today.
Of course my portfolio as minister is bigger than that.
Infrastructure, Spatial Planning and Environmental and Sustainability issues offer a lot of business opportunities on their own.

But water runs through all these issues, almost literally!
And whenever we talk about Water, we will always run into all these other issues as well.

Water is essential to our relationship.
And not only through the story of Harry Morgan:

I vividly remember standing on one of our storm surge barriers with a group of American senators, congressmen, a governor and businesspeople, almost ten years ago.
It was a cold, rainy November day in 2005.
Two months after hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.
I served as vice minister for Water at the time.
The official title of that visit was ‘A friendship forged by water’.
And I think there is a lot of truth in that title.

Here’s why:
First, Water forces us to admit that we share an urgency.
Both countries have cities in vulnerable areas, like river deltas.
These areas are our economic centres of gravity.
Regions that feel the effects of a rising sea level and extreme weather patterns.
So we have something precious to protect: millions of lives,
and billions in economic value.

Second, Water shows us a shared spirit of entrepreneurship.
That spirit has always been visible in the American economy:
Where freedom, pioneering and hard work are keys to success.
As a member of a political party founded on the concept of liberty, those values are dear to me.

But those values are also highly visible in the Dutch business community.
Our Water sector, for example, is a worldwide force of innovation.
Our Logistics sector is sought after for its ability to add smart value.
And our Architects and Designers are known for their bold, but practical solutions.

I also see a certain restlessness in both our business communities.
An eagerness to learn and to know and tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

Since I became minister, I visited the United States a handful of times.

And I welcomed American visitors – like secretary Donovan, but many others as well.
I remember visiting Hoboken, New Jersey just after hurricane Sandy struck.

The damage and devastation was clearly visible, but I also saw an eagerness to rebuild, to learn and to prevent.
It was the same eagerness the Dutch people felt after the 1953 floods.

Right now, Dutch and American experts, architects and engineers are working on a safer New Orleans and on a more resilient New York region.
Together.
Their focus is on bold solutions and on preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.

And I see it as my personal mission to promote preparedness and prevention.
Not only in The Netherlands or the United States, but worldwide.

I’ve also seen the difficulty of recurring drought in California.
The state experiences its third driest year on record.
It is important for us to learn from the experiences there, since more and longer periods of drought will also occur in the Netherlands.

Dutch and American companies also work together in smart logistics and hinterland transport.
Last year I was part of a combined Dutch-Flemish economic mission to the state of Texas, where we also forged new friendships and new business opportunities.

That is why, from my point of view, it is a pity that the United States still feels the need for enforcement of the Jones Act.

Of course its intentions may be noble.
But the Port of Houston pays three times more than other ports in the world for dredging.
So the effects are bad for business.

I don’t believe this level of ‘business privacy’ really fits the United States.
And our business ventures would definitely profit from a more open approach.

I also see a lot of business around digital infrastructure.
Through the internet, it is just a quick travel from Silicon Valley to the Amsterdam Internet Exchange, that makes our capital the internet capital of the world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Harry Morgan made a difference.
And that is indeed what we should do: make a difference.
Together.

Our strength lies in doing business together and by tackling these pressing global issues as smart business partners.

Along the way we have learned that many issues are interconnected:
For example water safety, urban development and mobility.
Together we learn not to look at them as isolated issues, but to see them as a societal, spatial and regional challenge.

I am certain this perspective creates a lot of business opportunities.
It opens doors,
to new approaches,
to renewed safety and resiliency,
and to sustainable economic growth.

An open approach to business also ensures liberty.
My hometown Leiden is probably the best place to prove this.
As you may know, this was the place where the Pilgrim Fathers lived in freedom for 11 years, before seeking liberty in the United States.

The Leiden American Pilgrim Museum is a small, but beautiful testament to the safe haven both our countries have been offering for centuries.

In closing, I urge you all to constantly renew our common sense of urgency and our
spirit of entrepreneurship.

To look for the best in each other as business partners in improving the world.
And of course, I welcome you to visit the city of Leiden on a sunny day.

So let’s reach out and make a difference.
Because that is what makes us, our business and world strong.

And with that, I am happy to take your questions.