Opening European Federation of the Wooden Pallet and Packaging Industry (FEFPEB) in Crown Plaza Hotel Maastricht on 13 October 2017

Transcription

1 1 Opening European Federation of the Wooden Pallet and Packaging Industry (FEFPEB) in Crown Plaza Hotel Maastricht on 13 October 2017 Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to the Netherlands, welcome to Limburg, welcome to Maastricht. Maastricht, the ideal place to combine seriousness of working with the pleasure of enjoying quality of life. And the city where the Treaty was signed twenty-five years ago. The Treaty that signified a borderless united Europe. It was signed very close to here. Just a kilometre further along the River Meuse, in the house of the Province of Limburg. The house where together with the provincial government and officials I have the honour of working every day. And we are delighted to do so, because we also consider it to be the birthplace of the European Union. I even walk past that twenty-five-year-old Treaty every day, which is permanently on display near my office. Ladies and gentlemen, we in Maastricht have always been happy with this Treaty. Not only because it will always bear the name of our splendid city. But above all, because we as a border province saw many opportunities in that borderless united Europe. And that closely relates to our special location within our own country, or to put it better, slightly outside our own country. You may therefore have already noticed that we are not typically Dutch. We look different. You will have difficulty finding a flat polder landscape, because here we are surrounded mainly by hills. We sound different. You may have noticed that we don't pronounce our "g"s as hard as other Dutch people; no, our speech sounds softer and more melodious.

2 2 And we even smell different. Well, at any rate our cheese smells different. The aroma of our Rommedou our Limburger cheese - is much more robust than that of the famous Dutch Gouda Cheese. But the most remarkable thing about our location is that we live closer to our foreign neighbours in Belgium and Germany than to our own countrymen. Foreign neighbours with whom we share much more history and culture. Such as a history in which we often changed nationality. As a result, we have created our own mix of Germanic Gründlichkeit with a healthy dose of Latin joie de vivre But above all, our geography and history mean that what we share here with our neighbours is a sort of mini Europe. A mini Europe within which, for example, the arrival of the euro made life quite a bit simpler. Because we do love to visit the neighbours... Just as we like to take the opportunity to live, work or do business on the other side of the border. Ladies and gentlemen, this attitude to try and make cross-border connections makes us the most international province in the country and almost literally a hand extending to Europe. And it is with exactly the same attitude that industry, university and government within Limburg extend the hand to one another. And challenge one another to produce the products and services that consumers and society are waiting for. This so-called triple-helix approach is the reason why we have succeeded in becoming one of the most innovative provinces in the country and a province in which the unemployment figures are falling the fastest. Ladies and gentlemen, this success has been driven by the four campuses that have produced this triple-helix approach. Four campuses under the name Brightlands with their own individual focus, but which together are perfectly in line with our strengths. Strengths as chemicals, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare and logistics.

3 But as I said - we have four Brightlands campuses spread across Limburg. 3 Here in Maastricht we have the Brightlands Health Campus, which, despite its focus on health, also attracted the attention of the global press with its cultured meat burger. Just to the north, we have the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, where hypermodern materials are being developed. Let me give you two examples relating to your packaging sector. A month ago, Sabic a leading global chemical group opened a pilot plant here to develop a superlight, super-strong and super-flexible plastic, together with purchasers such as the packaging and auto industries. And that means that a car manufacturer like BMW will now be rubbing its hands in anticipation, because they are building their minis at less than ten kilometres from this new Mecca for plastics. But what is very important, ladies and gentlemen, is that Sabic opted specifically for this campus because it has the most innovation experts available. This will also be the reason why Sappi the South African paper company has already invested here in a pilot plant in which wood is transformed into a type of wonder material. A wonder material that can be used for packaging but also, for instance, for food and pharmaceutical applications. Further north in the province, ladies and gentlemen, is the Brightlands Greenport Campus. Needless to say, the focus here is on agro & food. Needless to say, because this campus is located in the middle of the largest horticultural cluster in Western Europe, which we make up together with our German neighbours. The fourth campus, ladies and gentlemen Brightlands Smart Services is located more to the south, but is actually positioned in the middle. Because here, they delve so deeply into data that they can develop smart services as the name suggests for everything and everyone. Such as eliminating animal experiments, because knowledge can also be obtained in a technical manner.

4 4 An excellent example, which also shows that knowledge too is not confined here, but finds its way across borders. To other campuses, but also into practical applications, like in our manufacturing industry and small and medium-sized enterprises. But to make a long story short, ladies and gentlemen, all I am trying to emphasise is how much the legacy of the Maastricht Treaty is our legacy too. How much stronger, smarter and safer you are if you try to establish connections across borders. For us here in Limburg, this association model works only to our advantage. After all, it means that we form a solid bridge and springboard to the rest of Europe; that we are working at the economic and innovative forefront of our own country; and that we are creating an excellent investment climate for foreign businesses. And what s more, we also have a splendid, pleasant and relaxed surroundings on offer. Our own compatriots too are keen to leave the polders and climb to our province because they already feel as if they are abroad, because of those other looks, sound and smell that I referred to. And foreigners often feel at home here because we live at a crossroads of European culture, with that mix of thoroughness and lightness. It is hardly surprising that Maastricht University is also the most international in the country. More than fifty percent of the students and staff come from abroad. Ladies and gentlemen, I am always delighted to address groups who have been inspired by the Maastricht Treaty to meet here this year. The Maastricht Treaty that two months before it was signed was far from certain. Because during the European summit that took place here in the house of the province in Maastricht, the negotiations were getting tough. So tough that the host, our Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers, thought that a typical Dutch lunch a plain cheese sandwich would suffice. He did not want the European heads of government to depart for Château Neercanne, where our then Queen Beatrix wished to treat them to a decent lunch. Ladies and gentlemen, two months later the Treaty was signed, so you can guess where they eventually had lunch.

5 5 I see that you are also eating there this evening. And when you experience our Limburg ambiance there, you will immediately realise why the negotiations that afternoon suddenly went far more smoothly. But that is for this evening, for now I wish you a very interesting and enjoyable day.