newsletter MARCH 2014 c/o Netherlands Embassy Aminta III 69-71 1000 Skopje Republic of Macedonia e: info@nlchamber.org.mk w: www.nlchamber.org.mk fb.com/nlchamber twitter.com/nlchamber linkedin.com/../nl-chamber youtube.com/user/nlchamber
NL Chamber was established in J anuary 2012 as official Dutch-Macedonian Chamber of Commerce by 50 Macedonian companies, according to the Macedonian Law on Chambers of Commerce. One third of these companies is partly or fully Dutch owned. Objective of NL Chamber is to promote and support successful business relations between Dutch and Macedonian companies.
events Second Dies Natalis at Stobi Winery Third General Assembly: 31 March 2014 TEDxBinnenhof: “Global Challenges, Dutch Solutions” Conference: Dutch business experience in Macedonia projects Dutch attention for Macedonian dairy farming network Cross-border network members Zavar Company celebrates 25th anniversary Dutch Van Puijenbroek Textiel opens VPTex Macedonia Walking tree plantation at dawn statistics Online shopping short Urine fertilizer/New flight times Eindhoven-Skopje/Work at home/Industrial property/Netherlands Enterprise Agency click to read earlier editions! online reading pdf download No. 3: issuu.com/.../nlchamber2013-03 bit.ly/NLC-03 No. 2: issuu.com/.../nlchamber2013-02 bit.ly/NLC-02 No. 1: issuu.com/.../nlchamber2013-01 bit.ly/NLC-01 Sponsors of Foundation NL Chamber:
photo: NL Chamber
Dutch-Macedonian Chamber of Commerce
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newsletter no. 4 / March 2014
events
Second Dies Natalis at Stobi Winery Stobi Winery in Gradsko hosted the celebration of the second Dies Natalis, the anniversary of NL Chamber. On Thursday 16 January 2014 the celebration of the second Dies Natalis of NL Chamber took place at Stobi Winery in Gradsko. “Meeting eachother is essential for the work of NL Chamber. A celebration is both a pleasant and a very efficient way to get up to date and develop new actions,” says Bob Smit, Executive Director. Next to NL Chamber members and the Netherlands Embassy, also the new Dutch investor Anthura and new member BDO joined the celebration. BDO is part of a global network with its headquarters in Belgium and offers accountancy, tax advisory and bookkeeping services to various Dutch companies in Macedonia.
www.bdo.mk
events
Third General Assembly: 31 March 2014 The third annual gathering of the General Assembly of NL Chamber will be combined with the TEDxBinnenhof conference on Monday 31 March at Cineplexx Skopje.
vacancies and candidates Board members Marcel Melles and Marta Naumovska Grna
rova have finished their first mandate of two years. Both have decided to go for re-election for another two years. The same goes for the members of the Supervisory Board.
The official invitation has already been sent to the members. There are no other nomi nations for the mentioned positions and further details will follow by email. route description Drive around Skopje City Mall from Bul. Partizanska Odredi to enter the free parking garage at the east side. From the top parking level you have direct access to Cineplexx.
photo, illustration: NL Chamber
The Board of NL Chamber has decided to combine this year’s General Assembly with the TEDxBinnenhof conference, organized by the Dutch govern ment. Therefore, the General Assembly will take place at Cineplexx 8, on the top floor of the brand-new Skopje City Mall.
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events
TEDxBinnenhof: “Global Challenges, Dutch Solutions” Live from The Hague and brought to you by NL Chamber and the Netherlands Embassy: TEDxBinnenhof, hosted by Sashko Kocev. Plus an additional presentation of a myste rious tool by the Dutch inventors, live in Skopje.
TEDxBinnenhof is licensed by TED, a world-wide movement showcasing talks to inspire entrepreneurs and policy makers to improve the world under the slogan Ideas worth spreading. NL Chamber and the Netherlands Embassy have secured live streaming of this extraordinary event at Cineplexx 8, in Skopje City Mall. Host of this
mysterious tool Additionally, two Dutch engineers will come to Skopje to present their mysterious, innovative tool to the audience. iF product design award Their story is one of great entrepreneurship, battle with global brands, perseverance, venture capital and the prestigious German iF Product Design Award 2014. Moreover, one of the inventors has Bosnian roots!
City of the Future latest technological advancements
SPEAKERS & TALKS
Bert Weckhuysen www.uu.nl
The story of the mysterious tool will be revealed prior to the start of the live streaming, together with Sashko Kocev. NL Chamber members have already received an invitation.
Plant-E
Spinid
spinning disc technology for micro reactors
Jeoffrey van den Berg www.spinid.nl
electricity from living plants
Marjolein Helder www.plant-e.com Makeshift Chimney
Blue Innovation extracting nutritions from live plants
Jeroen Rondeel www.wetering.com
self-made chimneys as preventive medicine
Onno van Schayck www.caphri.nl
WeHelpen
community mutual support platform
Hydrea Thermpipe
Coen van de Steeg www.wehelpen.nl
sewerage heat exchanger
Stella
solar energy car
Juliette van der Lof www.solarteam eindhoven.nl
Heleen Herbert www.heijmans.com Smart Polder
PectCof
pectin from coffee pulp for food and pharma
Rudi Dieleman www.pectcof.com
energy from watermanagement
Barry Scholten iftechnology.com
Your Aruba
fully sustainable, self-sufficient society
Mike Eman prime minister Aruba www.overheid.aw
photos: TEDxBinnenhof; illustrations: NL Chamber
ideas worth spreading
event is the Macedonian actor and showbusiness personality Sashko Kocev.
www.TEDxBinnenhof.com
“Global Challenges, Dutch Solutions” is the theme of this edition of TEDxBinnenhof, a series of talks on various innovative ideas, organized by the Dutch government.
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events
Conference: Dutch business experience in Macedonia The stories of Dutch entrepreneurs about their experiences with doing business in Mace donia received great interest at business fora in Rotterdam and Venlo.
276 stamps and signatures Mark Lammers, Managing Director of Holmak HeatX BV shared his experience with the take-over of a factory in Bitola: “It took us 276 stamps and signatures, but it was worth it.” At the panel discussion Stavreski pointed out that a take-over of an existing company cannot be compared to a greenfield investment and that the latter should not be confronted with extensive bureaucracy.
Dutch entrepreneurs attending Doing Business in Macedonia
within time and budget
agribusiness
Winfried Rooswinkel was as project manager at Van Puijen broek Textiel (also known as HaVeP and VPTex) responsible for the construction of a “quick response” production facility for workwear in Mace donia. Rooswinkel explained about significant differences in principles of construction, but also proudly stated that the buil ding was finished both within the time frame and within the budget.
“I will speak as Minister of Agri culture, but I will think as a Dutch entrepreneur,” said economist Dimovski at Greenport Venlo. Like Mark Lammers in Rotterdam, also Willeke Roes of conifer tree nursery European Plants did not hesitate to politely suggest to the Macedonian government to continue working on dri ving back bureaucracy: “The amount of papers you need to get permits is quite enormous, I must say.”
Opening ceremony new factory VPTex Macedonia: page 8
Rooswinkel and Lammers
Visit plant nursery on page 9
Agriculture professionals exchanging experiences at Greenport Venlo
photos: NL Chamber
The Embassy of Macedonia in the Netherlands and Invest Macedonia organized two fora on doing business in Macedonia. Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Stavreski addressed the Dutch business community on Monday 25 November at the Chamber of Commerce in Rotterdam and Minister of Agriculture Ljupco Dimovski travelled to Greenport in Venlo to outline the agribusiness potential of Macedonia on Tuesday 26 November.
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projects
Dutch attention for Macedonian dairy farming Three pages on Macedonian dairy sector in Dutch cattle breeding magazine. Following the efforts to mobilize Dutch expertise to improve the Macedonian dairy farming practice, the Dutch professional magazine for the 足cattle breeding sector Veeteelt published a three-page arti足 cle in the edition of November 2013. Already in May last year NL Chamber guided the journalist Bert Hartman and pho-
tographer Ron Stoop on a field trip to Bitola, were they met with Zlatko 足Najdovski, general manager of Bimilk. The magazine Veeteelt is available online at ISSUU: http://issuu.com/crv-publishers/docs/veeteelt_nov2_2013
network
Cross-border network NL Chamber joined the Netherlands Embassy on a networking trip to Pristina and Tirana.
Dutch Zinkunie in Prizren Zinkunie is a wholesale company in zinc, copper and stainless steel articles with its headquarters in Boxtel, near Eindhoven. The company has invested in total 9 million EUR
in a plant near Prizren for galvanizing various products with zinc. Recently Zinkunie also opened an office in Skopje. Tirana In Tirana Mr Gilles Bauwens, a Belgian diplomat stationed at the Netherlands Embassy, provided detailed insight in the Albanian business climate for foreign investors. Biznis Albania organized a seminar on Dutch private sector development instruments.
www.zinkunie.com
photos: NL Chamber
On 29 October NL Chamber joined the Netherlands Embassy on a networking trip to their colleagues in Pristina. At the embassy in Pristina also the Dutch company Zinkunie was present.
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Sponsors of Foundation NL Chamber
www.nlembassy.org.mk
www.pivaraskopje.com.mk
www.boekestijntransport.com 6
newsletter no. 4 / March 2014
members
Zavar Company celebrates 25th anniversary With an inspiring performance at Skopje Design Week, Zavar Company marked its 25th anniversary as well as the 10th anniversary of interior design label Zavar Design. general management of the company in 2005. Skopje Design Week The celebration took place at Kurshumli An, a sixteenth century inn from the Ottoman era, during Skopje Design Week. Naumovska Grnarova is Programme Director of this annual design event and also member of the Board of NL Chamber.
process equipment and interior design articles
Marta Naumovska Grnarova
Dance and drums performance
Stainless steel design radiators
Zavar Company was foun ded in 1988 as a company for welded stainless steel process equipment. Being a mechanical engineer with a strong passion for fashion and design, Marta Naumovska Grnarova (40) widened the scope of work to interior design articles under the label Zavar Design in 2003, before assuming the
golden formula “An engineering background combined with an open, creative mind is a golden formula for prosperous business deve lopment,” says Bob Smit, Exe cutive Director of NL Chamber. “Marta is continuously travel ling all over the world, participating in trade fairs and master classes, gaining fresh inspiration and creating new opportunities. We are grateful to have her in our team!” www.zavar.com.mk www.zavardesign.com www.facebook.com/... www.youtube.com/...
photos: NL Chamber, Olgica Gjorgieva, Skopje Design Week, Zavar Company
Modern dance, stainless steel vessels and pipes as percussion instruments and cuff links as gifts: the celebration of the 25th anniversary contained all characteristics of both Zavar and its general manager.
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members
Dutch Van Puijenbroek Textiel opens VPTex Macedonia Dutch producer of workwear and protective wear invested 2 million EUR in an own production facility near Skopje, Macedonia.
quick response “The facility offers us a quick response production unit in addition to our long-term outsourcing partners,” explains Rob Kwaspen, director at Van Puijenbroek Textiel. “Additio nally, our own factory allows us to enter the regional mar-
Minister of Transport Mile Janakieski and Commissioner Eduard van Puijenbroek cut the ribbon
ket, providing local industries with high quality workwear.” third production line Meanwhile, VPTex Macedonia started operating the second production line. Kwaspen: “We now employ 90 people in one shift. We are very satisfied with the results and have decided to add a third production line with another 30 emplo yees this quarter, instead of in 2015. This also means that we have to advance the extension of the building.” More pictures: bit.ly/VPTexMK www.vptex.com www.havep.com www.facebook.com/vptex... www.facebook.com/havep www.twitter.com/havepw...
Directors Huub Zegveld and Rob Kwaspen
Opening dance
www.youtube.com/user/...
photos: MIA/Darko Popov, Van Puijenbroek Textiel BV, NL Chamber
Dutch Van Puijenbroek Textiel, established in 1865 in Goirle near Tilburg, started with outsour cing the production of industrial and protective workwear to factories in Resen and Stenje in 1968 when Macedonia was still part of Yugoslavia. 44 years later, on 26 October 2012 Van Puijen broek Textiel laid the foundation stone for its own factory, an investment of 2 million EUR. The construction site is conveniently located between Skopje and the international airport, in the village of Kadino. Less than a year later, on 16 October 2013, VPTex Macedonia was officially opened by Eduard van Puijenbroek, commissioner and former director of the Dutch family company and Minister of Transport Mile Janakieski.
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members
Walking tree plantation at dawn The Dutch company European Plants runs a 400 ha. conifer tree nursery near Tetovo. 07h30 was the scheduled time for a visit on 5 December to European Plants in the village of Preljubishte, near Tetovo. The fog created a fairy-tale scenery and hid the surroun ding mountains, peaking from 1,200 meters in the east to 2,700 meters in the west. 4 years investment
new market opportunities Until 2007 Michels worked 600 ha of land in the Netherlands. “Since these plots were really located all over the country, I drove 5,000 km per week.” This practical issue and the trend of the market development made Michels think of alternatives. “I noticed that conifer trees were hardly available on the Balkans and in South-east Europe. Since I also saw major new market opportunities for Istanbul, I started searching for land to start a large-scale tree nursery in the region.” Through an acquaintance in the textile industry Michels came to Macedonia, where he bought a concession on 400
Sculptured conifer trees with frost at dawn
ha. of a former state-owned tree nursery near Tetovo. daily management About the start of his Macedonian business Michels is very straightforward: “I made a big mistake by thinking that the new venture would flourish while the Dutch business nee ded my full attention. In two years time there was very little progress. Since 2011 I have taken on the daily manage ment of the Macedonian tree nursery.” From that moment Michels is a regular passenger on the Wizzair flight between Skopje and Eindhoven, often going home for just the weekend.
fer trees to retailers in Croatia, Romania, Hungary and even Turkmenistan.” From acces sion to the European Union Michels expects significant advanta ges: “The administrative procedures in Macedonia are really suffocating. Procedures for obtaining various licences and especially customs formalities should really gain in speed and efficiency, resul ting in serious cost savings.”
300 truckloads From Macedonia Michels has indeed conquered new markets: “Until April 2014 we will export 300 truckloads of coni-
Own production of boxpallets for export of trees
www.europeanplants.com
photos: NL Chamber
A five-kilometer walk with owner Joost Michels along numerous plots with different varieties of conifer trees unveiled the enormous scale of the investment: “It takes 4 years before a tree is big enough to be sold. That means 4 years of investments before the first returns appear.”
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Online shopping
The online shopping market in the Netherlands is growing steadily. For 2013 a total turnover of 10.5 billion EUR is ex-
pected with the largest shares in travel, telecom and clothing. source: Thuiswinkel.org
illustration: Blauw Research
statistics
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ublished a “brownfield datap base”. This database lists over 400 objects of industrial real estate, available for sale, rent or lease to foreign investors.
Urine fertilizer
The Amsterdam waterworks Waternet opened a facility for the production of fertilizer from sewage water and pure urine. Urine - and therewith also sewage water - is rich of phosphate. Biological methods to avoid phosphates ending up in the surface water lead to deposition of the mineral struvite on pipes and equipment. The new facility allows for controlled crystalization and sepa ration of struvite with which the recovery of phosphate into fertilizer is complete. Waternet also uses pure urine, collected from mobile toilets at large festivals and events. Since Dutch law regards this recycled phosphate still as waste instead of fertilizer, an adapted law is expected to become effective per 2014 to enable international trade. source: www.waternet.nl
Duckweed is a replacement for soja as feed for the calves. Algae are fed to the calves with the water, leading to increased animal health and lower use of antibiotics. see: youtu.be/IWyrIIkyWFg
New flight times Eindhoven-Skopje
Budget carrier Wizzair, connecting Skopje to Eindhoven will change the flight times per 1 April 2014 and add a third weekly flight.
www.wizzair.com
The new sche dule shows the following times on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays: EIN 08h45 SKP 11h30 SKP 05h30 EIN 08h20
Duckweed as feed
Dutch calf breeder Evert Kroes from Uddel established a closed circuit farm. Urine, thin manure fragment, CO2 and body heat of the calfs is used to produce duckweed in a basin in a glasshouse on top of the stable. Thick manure fragment is fermented to biogas to produce electricity, sufficient for the farm plus 200 households. After harvest of the duckweed, the water is used for growing algae.
Work at home
The share of employees that work at home is about a third in the Netherlands. Working at home amounts for an average of six hours per week. In 2005 this share was a quarter. One out of every five employees can “regularly” decide upon his/her own working hours. source: www.cbs.nl
Industrial property
The Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion, Invest Macedonia has
www.investinmacedonia.com
Netherlands Enterprise Agency
The Dutch governmental agency that executes all entrepreneurial stimulation and support programmes, NL Agency, merged with the agri culture subsidies service. The new organization is now called Netherlands Enterprise Agency (in Dutch: Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland or RVO). Amongst others, RVO executes the Match Making Facility (MMF) and the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF, successor of the well-known PSI programme).
Netherlands Enterprise Agency Ministry of Economic Affairs
Prinses Beatrixlaan 2 PO Box 93114 2509 AC THE HAGUE The Netherlands t: +31 88 0424242 MMF - MatchMaking Facility w: www.rvo.nl/mmf DGGF - Dutch Good Growth Fund w: www.rvo.nl/dggf Netherlands Embassy Mr Jane Kjuka Economy and Trade Officer t: +389 2 3109250 e: jane.kjuka@minbuza.nl
photos: Barry Verduijn / SH+E, Ton Kastermans / Boerderij, NL Chamber
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Calendar of Trade Fairs Selection of upcoming trade fairs. Selection of trade fairs in the Netherlands and Macedonia. NB: All blue text is clickable!
The Netherlands
Macedonia
11-14.03.2014 18-20.03.2014 25-27.03.2014 25-28.03.2014 28-30.03.2014 02-03.04.2014 02-03.04.2014 09-10.04.2014 14-17.04.2014 20-21.05.2014 20-22.05.2014 04-06.06.2014 10-12.06.2014 30.09.2014- 03.10.2014 07-09.10.2014 02-04.12.2014
Major trade fairs take place at:
Macedonia
Skopje Fair, Skopje 16.000 sqm, 6 halls
Note: All mentioned fairs in Macedonia are organized by the same organizer and at the same place. At this moment the respective pages on the organizer’s website do not include any further details.
photo impressions of the fairs:
25-30.03.2014 10-12.04.2014 10-12.04.2014 24-27.09.2014 14-18.10.2014
The Netherlands Major trade fairs take place at: Jaarbeurs, Utrecht 99,000 sqm, 13 halls www.jaarbeurs.nl
RAI, Amsterdam 87,000 sqm, 11 halls www.rai.nl
Ahoy, Rotterdam 30,000 sqm, 6 halls www.ahoy.nl
Regional locations for trade fairs: Brabanthallen, ‘s-Hertogenb.
29,500 sqm, 6 halls IJsselhallen, Zwolle 17,000 sqm, 4 halls MECC, Maastricht 29,500 sqm, 4 halls
Most fairs in the Netherlands have entrance fees and offer discounts for early registration online. Please do not hesitate to contact NL Chamber when you plan to visit a fair in the Netherlands.
www.skopjefair.com.mk www.fb.com/SkopjeFair/
Entrance tickets can only be purchased at the spot; online registration is not possible. Please do not hesitate to contact NL Chamber when you plan to visit a fair in Macedonia.
ESEF, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht engineering and subcontracting StocExpo, Ahoy - Rotterdam 180 exhibitors; pums, valves, pipes, tanks and related Zorg & ICT, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht 180 exhibitors; ICT for health care sector Intertraffic, RAI - Amsterdam 762 exhibitors: traffic, parking, safety and infrastruct. Second Home International, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht 156 exhibitors; Sale of recreational private real estate Empack, Brabanthallen - ‘s-Hertogenbosch packaging materials, machines, coding, labelling etc. Event, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht 124 exhibitors; event management Overheid & ICT, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht 100 exhibitors; ICT for the public sector Automotive Trade Show, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht entire automotive sector World Private Label / PLMA, RAI - Amsterdam european private label producers in food and non-food 3,800 exhibitors, 68 countries, 42 regional pavilions VIV Europe, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht 547 exhibitors; animal husbandry and processing Vakbeurs Gebouwbeheer, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht 200 exhibitors; management of business premises GreenTech, RAI - Amsterdam 200 exhibitors in horticulture and floriculture industry World of Technology&Science, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht Industrial Dairy Show, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht Macropak, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht Industrial Processing, Jaarbeurs - Utrecht 338 exhibitors; automation, electronics, laboratory; dairy industry technology; packaging Energie, Brabanthallen - ‘s-Hertogenbosch energy, solar, passive building, sustainability. Healt & Natural Ingredients, RAI - Amsterdam 230 exhibitors; health ingredients, natural ingredients
Mebel furniture, interior, woodworking supplies and machinery Days of Education universities and major employers Skopje Travel Market congress tourism, agrotourism, rural tourism, wine tourism etc. AgroFood Fair food and beverages Tehnoma Fair metallurgy, electronics, non-metals, security 12