Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal concluded his two-day official visit to the Netherlands with a series of engagements on 25 and 26 October 2026, including a visit to the Port of Rotterdam, meetings with senior Dutch government leaders, parliamentarians and business leaders, and an interaction with the Indian diaspora.

The engagements focused on strengthening India-Netherlands economic cooperation and exploring new opportunities for trade and investment between Indian and Dutch enterprises. Minister Goyal was accompanied by a business delegation of approximately 60 people.

On 25 October, Shri Goyal began his visit with a tour of the Port of Rotterdam, accompanied by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Boudewijn Siemons. The visit highlighted the strategic importance of Europe’s largest port as a gateway for Indian goods to the European market and a key hub for global supply chains, and provided an opportunity to discuss strengthening collaboration between the Port of Rotterdam and Indian ports. The same day, the Minister met members of the Indian community at an event in Amsterdam organized by the Indian Embassy, and reaffirmed the diaspora’s important role in bilateral economic, cultural and people-to-people ties.

On 26 October, the Minister held bilateral meetings with Mr. Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and Ms. Heleen Herbert, Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. The discussions covered expanded trade, resilient supply chains and greater Dutch investment in India’s manufacturing, R&D, infrastructure, renewable energy, logistics and digital technologies, as well as collaboration in semiconductors, green hydrogen, clean energy, critical minerals and advanced manufacturing, with a view to leveraging the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to create new opportunities for bilateral trade and investment.

Shri Goyal also co-chaired the India-Netherlands Business Forum with Mr. Sjoerdsma, attended by approximately 200 representatives of Indian and Dutch businesses. Addressing the Forum, he said the elevated Strategic Partnership between India and the Netherlands offered immense opportunities that could contribute to a prosperous future for both countries. Following the Forum, the business delegation accompanying the Minister participated in sector-specific roundtables along with Dutch businesses covering High Technology and Innovation; Services and Allied Sectors; Agri-Food and Food Processing; Logistics and Supply Chain Connectivity; Sustainability and Renewable Energy; and Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Textiles and Engineering Goods.

The Minister also held separate meetings with Mr. Arthur van Dijk, King’s Commissioner of the Province of Noord-Holland, and members of the Dutch House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and the Senate Committee on European Affairs. He highlighted India’s rapid infrastructure development, its emergence as a global manufacturing hub and opportunities to deepen high-tech cooperation, and noted the potential of the FTA to benefit both economies.

Shri Goyal held individual meetings with CEOs and representatives of prominent Dutch companies, including ASML and Nexperia, leading players in the semiconductor sector; Power2X, developer of green hydrogen and renewable fuels projects; and Ingka Group (IKEA). The meetings explored opportunities for business partnerships and investment across sectors including semiconductor technology, electronics, logistics, energy and industrial solutions, technology and retail. He also participated in a Business Leaders’ Roundtable with CXOs of 15 Dutch companies, organised by the Embassy in The Hague in collaboration with HSBC Netherlands, where he shared India’s growth story and reform momentum and the opportunities for Dutch companies to invest, co-manufacture and co-innovate in India.

The visit built on the growing momentum in India-Netherlands bilateral cooperation and highlighted the potential of the trade and economic partnership, particularly in the context of the FTA and the Strategic Partnership announced during Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands in May 2026.

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C N Abhijith Narayanan

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