The Dutch market has always been very important to Swedish companies. It is Sweden's seventh-largest export market and third-largest import market at SEK 162 billion in total 2021. The Netherlands is an attractive market for Swedish companies with its logistically strategic location and high degree of digitalisation, technology, innovation, and sustainability. It is also an interesting test market for onward expansion to other countries in Europe.
The Dutch business climate bears clear resemblances to that of Sweden. Swedish companies and products enjoy a great reputation for innovation, tech, quality, as well as sustainability, among consumers. Sweden’s reputation has been largely stable for a long time and goes hand in hand with the high degree of trust placed in the Nordic countries generally. This survey distinctly confirms this picture as it is clearly expressed that the brand image of Sweden contributes positively to Swedish business in the Netherlands. As many as 86 per cent of the respondents think that the Swedish brand contributes partially or much/very positively to their business success.
There are many factors that determine whether the business environment is conducive to success. In 2022, the Swedish companies gave the highest score to physical infrastructure, followed by personal safety and legal security. A clear majority of the respondents, 74 per cent, have not encountered any issues with trade barriers or are not aware of any taking place.
Please download the report to fully overview the results and get a detailed analysis.
ABOUT THE SURVEY
The Business Climate Survey is a study authored by Team Sweden for Swedish companies to understand the opportunities and challenges that they face when doing business in the Netherlands.
This year, the survey was sent out to 86 local executives representing Swedish companies in the Netherlands, 36 of which provided answers. The answers were collected between 25 March and 25 April 2022.
