His Excellency Mr. Hamdi Tabba’a met on Thurs. 21-11-2013 HE Mr. Paul Van den Ijssel , The Ambassador of the Netherlands in Amman . The meeting was attended by Mr. Hussam Aldeen AL Hudhud, JBA Board Member. The meeting discussions reviewed the economic relations between Jordan and the Netherlands on the private sector level . HE Mr. Hamdi Tabba’a briefed His Excellency on the rol;e of JBA in the enhancement of economic relations between the two countries .The Cooperation Agreement between JBA and The Dutch Council for trade promotion was signed in 16/2/1998 in Amman . According to Agreement the Jordanian – Dutch Business Council was established.In 1999 , JBA co-organized with the Jordanian –Dutch Friendship Association a joint business mission to Amsterdam where the second round of the Business Council meeting was held and headed by HE Mr. Thabet Al Taher , JBA Vice Chairman , and Mr. Salim Rabbani , Co- chairman of the Joint Business Council . The visit program included meetings with The Hague Chamber of Commerce, Rotterdam Chamber of Commerce , and meetings with top officials at the Ministries of Economy,Foreign Affairs , and the Netherlands Investment Corporation .The 3rd round of the Business Council was held in Amman in 2000 , and chaired by HE Mr. Hamdi Tabba’a, JBA Chairman , and Mr. Salim Rabbani , and was attended by many Jordanian & Dutch businessmen and top Jordanian officials in the field of economy & investments.In 2003 JBA hosted the 4th round of the Business Council under the patronage of HE The Minister of Industry & Trade and the Netherlands Ambassador in Amman .
A second business mission to Amsterdam was organized in co-operation with the Jordanian – Dutch Friendship Association , in 2004 . Chaired by HE Mr. Thabet Al Taher, JBA Vice Chairman , the delegation included several businessmen from the different sectors of the economy, the CEO of Jordan Investment Board, The Privatization Commission , and the Jordanian Ambassador and Dutch Ambassador. The meeting concentrated on the prospective fields of cooperation between Jordan & Netherlands such as : Food industry , tourism, energy , pharmaceuticals electronic and electrical appliances ,Dead Sea products and Fertilizers. The program included field visit to Rotterdam Port , The Hague Chamber of Commerce and the Dutch Investment Corporation .
JBA continues its communications with the Dutch counterpart to provide info regarding trade & investment opportunities between the two countries. And ever since the last meetings JBA received several Dutch businessmen and delegations.
There are many cooperation fields between Jordan & Netherlands such as technical assistance, training and financial aid , The Netherlands is considered one of the main EU donors to Jordan especially since the Syrian refugee crisis .
The Prospective fields of cooperation are numerous such as energy, renewable energy, IT, environment. Dutch investments in Jordan are present in the field of oil & gas exploitation , with Shell of the Netherlands, Shale oil extraction , and recently BAM International won a contract for the new natural gas port in Aqaba in consortium with MAG of Jordan totaling $92 mill of capital investment . Tourism is a main sector for cooperation , Jordan participated in 2012 in a major tourism exhibition in Amsterdam.
Trade Exchanges between the two countries are carried within the framework of the Jordan –EU Partnership Agreement . Jordan exported to The Netherlands in2012 ($33mill) mainly phosphate & fertilizers.Imports from The Netherlands reached ($165mill) in 2012 , main imports are: food & dairy products , pharmaceuticals , medical equipment .
HE Mr. Paul Van den Ijssel , The Ambassador of the Netherlands in Amman , expressed appreciation for the active role of JBA in the enhancement of the economic relations between the two countries and reviewed the prospective fields of cooperation between both sides especially in the sectors of tourism , higher education , training , joint investment , agriculture ,renewable energy and water resources. He stressed the importance of organizing a new round of the joint business council in the near future in order to explore the investment and cooperation opportunities. It was agreed to convene the 6th round of the meetings in the near future.