'Matchmaking' service to help SMEs forge relations with Dutch counterparts

Small and medium enterprises can create new opportunities for themselves by linking up with their Dutch counterparts using a matchmaking facility offered by the Netherlands, the Embassy of the Netherlands said. Through the facility, local companies can establish joint ventures and explore export and import opportunities with companies in the Netherlands, according to the European country's Ministry of Economic Affairs. Interested Philippine companies may also benefit from the transfer of expertise and knowledge, said Patricia Alvendia, senior commercial officer of the Embassy of the Netherlands' Economic Affairs Section. A company must be locally registered and operating for at least two years, with a solid financial base and a workforce of at least 10 people, to be eligible for the program. An applicant firm must provide a detailed business plan and a defined profile of its Dutch counterpart, and identify their products and services' unique selling points (USP). The company must also be willing to visit the Netherlands to meet its prospective match, said Alvendia. "This will improve the chance that Dutch companies will be interested in your proposal," she said. The Embassy will screen applications and assign a consultant to facilitate contact between the local firm and potential Dutch partners. — BM, GMA News