• Jan 05 2023

    Visit to Arbitration Center Turkish Bar Association, Ankara

    ByPeter Wolters In
    Chairman Ethem Emre of the Chamber of Commerce Netherlands – Turkiye Foundation and also the Netherlands – Turkish Legal Institute Foundation, together with his advisor Metin Yazerel, visited the Arbitration Center of the Turkish Bar Association (TBB) in Ankara.
    They exchanged views with Mehmet Rifat Bacanli, lawyer, teacher and chairman of the center about the possibilities offered by the TBB, more specifically about a seminar for lawyers and business people in the Netherlands who have interests in Turkiye.
    Do you have interests in Turkiye and need legal assistance from Turkish lawyers in the Netherlands?
    • Corporate law
    • Commercial law
    • Tax and tax law
    • Contract law
    • Liability law
    • Mediation
    • Person-and familyright
    • Inheritance law
    Do submit your question, contact.
  • Jan 05 2023

    Discover Turkiye in adventurous train

    ByPeter Wolters In
    A useful and pleasant way for entrepreneurs to get to know the opportunities and culture of Turkiye better is by train. It inspires and stimulates ideas while conversing with fellow passengers. Nature is also overwhelming…
    Enormous snow plains, steep mountain walls and breathtaking views. The Doğu Express from the Turkish capital Ankara to Kars is the longest train journey in Turkiye. The ride has become wildly popular due to Instagram.
    Dutch entrepreneurs who want to set up a BV under Turkish law afterwards or who otherwise seek assistance (market research; subsidies; contact with bureaucratic institutions) can contact the Chamber of Commerce Netherlands – Turkiye foundation.
    Watch video report and photos of the Dutch correspondent Olaf Koens of RTL news:

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Sep 20 2022

    Energy crisis makes EU tourists and entrepreneurs reorient to Türkiye

    ByPeter Wolters In
    With the energy crisis hitting Europe, citizens are bracing for a harsh winter with strict controls on natural gas consumption. At the same time, a kind of ‘energy tourism’ is emerging. Europeans are booking Turkish hotels to spend the coming cold months. Entrepreneurs are also reorienting themselves…
    According to Ferhan Ademhan, board member of the Anatolian Tourism Operators Association, bookings for November have increased by 50%. Normally their facilities in the holiday regions are 50% from September, 80% in October and completely closed in November. “This year our facilities will be running at full capacity. We think our tourism target will reach 40 million this year. So far we have exceeded 26 million. This means $35 billion in revenue” (*1)
    The Netherlands-Türkiye Chamber of Commerce foundation signals that the explosion in gas prices has also made some Dutch entrepreneurs decide to arrange things differently. Some agri-greenhouses will be emptied this winter. Tomatoes and cucumbers will be planted only at the end of winter (*2).
    Other energy-intensive sectors in cross-border EU clusters are also considering scaling down production, which will affect related sectors. “Türkiye can offer alternative, long-term solutions in the field of food, energy and climate change,” said Peter Wolters, vice-chairman of the Chamber of Commerce foundation. He is referring to the growth limits of agriculture (nitrogen/Natura 2000 legislation) and a future lower water level (*3).
    In addition to these energy and climate challenges, Türkiye can also serve as an alternative to the (still) unpredictable Covid restrictions in China. The dramatic devaluation of the Turkish Lira has of course not gone unnoticed.
    Specifically, Mersin offers prospects for Dutch entrepreneurs. 40% of agricultural exports come from Mersin. The port and Free Zone facilitate foreign markets. The already strong logistics sector will be blessed with the international/regional airport Çukurova (to be completed by the end of 2022) with a large loading capacity. Fresh fruit and vegetables with a high added value (cherries, strawberries) will reach EU markets in a shorter time.
    The first and only Agri-Food Technopark is located in Mersin (Agropark Mersin). The allocation of office and production space to agricultural food companies with R&D projects has already started.
    The Chamber of Commerce Netherlands-Türkiye foundation in Rotterdam and partner Dutch Turkish Trade in Istanbul regularly consult with sustainable Agri R&D institutions and potential investors interested in sustainable innovations.

     

    *1) Source: Daily Sabah, 19-9-2022

    *2) Source: Financieel Dagblad, 28-7-2022

    *3) Source: former Dutch minister of agriculture, interview NPO-2, 29-7-2022

  • Jun 23 2022

    Turkiye well on the way becoming logistics bridge of the world

    ByPeter Wolters In
    The Turks have invested some $172 billion in large-scale infrastructure projects over the past 20 years. The country is catching up.
    According to a proud Turkish transport minister at the opening of the 58th airport in the country in May 2022: “We have completed work that would normally take 100 years in 20 years.”
    Türkiye has also completed several mega highway projects including Kuzey Marmara, built the longest suspension bridge in the world ‘1915-Çanakkale Bridge’and the widest bridge in the world ‘Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge’ and constructed a submarine tunnel under the strait of Istanbul, Marmaray.
    Several long tunnels were built as the number of railway kilometers and high-speed lines increased. The logistics sector will benefit.
    Interested in optimization of cold logistics and execution in e-commerce? We can match you with Dutch-speaking experts in Türkiye.
    Contact info@kvknederlandturkije.nl

     

    Map: The Black Sea Inter-Modal Corridor. Source: Ministry of Transport Maritime Affairs and Communications

     

  • Feb 03 2022

    Türkiye largest exporter of washing machines

    ByPeter Wolters In
    Türkiye has become Europe’s largest exporter of household appliances in 2021, with an export increase of 18% compared to the previous year. Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank said in January that the country exported 26 million products last year.
    Last year, Turkish exports hit a record high of $225.4 billion, with an annual increase of 32.9%. The Turkish industry can also show good growth figures in the long term. The number of exporting companies increased from 33,523 in the year 2002 to 101,386 at the end in 2021.
    Türkiye has taken measures for a multitude of segments of society to keep the Turkish economy going. Production was maintained as uninterrupted as possible to protect employment and to absorb fluctuations in supply chains, despite the (pandemic) tremors on a global scale.
    In order to also stimulate domestic consumption and thus production, the Turkish government has implemented temporary tax cuts in the past. Special temporary consumption taxes on air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, some small household appliances and furniture were reduced from 6.7 percent to 0 according to a cabinet decision published in the Turkish Official Gazette at the time in February 2017.
    Interested in facts & figures untapped potential Türkiye or the Netherlands?
    Would you like to receive more insights about any untapped potential (export values in million euros, selection of market players) between the Netherlands and Türkiye with regard to clothing, processed food and machines?  Order the “Snapshots Unexploited Market Opportunities Report” from the Chamber of Commerce Netherlands-Türkiye foundation with a mini-donation of €150 (use the donation button at the bottom of the homepage).
    Interested in tailor-made market research of other sectors in Türkiye or the Netherlands? Contact.
  • Sep 22 2021

    The start of Turkish lemon season…

    ByPeter Wolters In 0
    The Turkish lemon season has started. Sizes are comparable to last season and Turkish growers have worked hard to ensure they comply with European crop protection regulations.

    The quality of the fruit is monitored at all stages: cultivation, sorting, packaging, distribution and conservation. Quality reports with the name of the producer, certificate number of the ‘garden’, date of harvest, chemicals (if applied), certificate of approval Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and packaging date can be shown and/or partly printed on packaging labels.

    Photo: MDA Agricultural Products

    Turkish exporters, the Union and the Ministry of Agriculture are closely monitored and have intensively trained their growers in growing the right products, spraying, fertilizing and harvesting. Read full article here.

               

     

    
        
    
        
    
                
    
		

     
        
    
    
    
    

        
            
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    Turkish startups receive €1 MLD
            
               
                        
                ByPeter Wolters            
                                    
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    Turkish startups receive USD 1.2 billion investment in the first half of 2021.
    

    ​In the first quarter of 2021, 61 startups had raised $508 million from angel investors and venture capital funds. This is a record for the Turkish startup ecosystem. According to Startup.Watch’s “Turkish Startup Ecosystem Quarterly Report-Q2 2021” report, 63 startups raised $746 million for a total of $1.2 billion in the first half.
    

    Getir became the most invested startup in Türkiye with $550 million and a valuation of $7.5 billion. Dream Games, the second highest investment recipient after Getir, also turned into a unicorn in the second quarter of the year.
    

    Türkiye ranks 8th in Europe and 2nd in the Angels and venture venture capital investors in the Middle East and North Africa.
    

    The Chamber of Commerce foundation has had constructive discussions with Teknopark / Incubation Center Istanbul (see min. 0:35 in video). Dutch startups can use facilities.
    
        
    
        
    
                
    
		

     
        
    
    
    
    

        
            
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    Netherlands top 5 investor Istanbul
            
               
                        
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    The Netherlands is in the top five countries with the highest capital invested in Istanbul in 2019 with Syria, Iran, Germany and Jordan.
    

    With 93 investors and assets of TRY 346 MLN, the Netherlands is in second place in the list. 12,644 foreign companies were founded in 2019 with TRY 3.3 MLD in Istanbul. Prominent sectors for investors were the services, retail, textiles and IT sectors.
    

    Source: Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC). Would you like to hold discussions with the ICOC at sectoral level? Make use of the network of the Chamber of Commerce (see also min. 0:10 in video). Contact info@nttf.eu
    
        
    
        
    
                
    
		

     
        
    
    
    
    

        
            
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