HRH The Crown Princess' speech at the seminar "The Swedish-Dutch Sustainability and Innovation Summit 2022" on the occasion of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands' 60th anniversary

Amsterdam

(The spoken version shall take precedence)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce!

60 years is indeed an impressive milestone! And while the celebration had to be postponed due to the pandemic, I am glad that we can meet here today. At last!

I am very much looking forward to today’s Innovation & Sustainability Summit and the opportunity to hear the perspectives of government representatives, business leaders and entrepreneurs from both Sweden and the Netherlands.

Ladies and gentlemen: The Netherlands has always been important to Sweden. More than 400 years ago, in 1614, Sweden established its first embassy here. And today it is Sweden’s seventh largest export market.

The Netherlands is also present in my own family history:

In 1850, Princess Louise of the Netherlands married Sweden’s crown prince, my great-great grandfather’s uncle Carl. Nine years later he became King Carl XV, and Louise became Queen Lovisa of Sweden and Norway.

Today, more than 170 years later, both my father, myself and my daughter are lucky to have gotten to know your country via our godparents in the Dutch Royal Family. And also, of course, during visits to and from your country.

With a high degree of digitalization, technology, innovation and sustainability, the Netherlands is an attractive market for Swedish companies.

Many large companies have long had a presence in the Netherlands and do excellent work here. And they are continuously being joined by new businesses in various industries.

I know that the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and its member companies play an important role in helping new businesses grow on the Dutch market.

This is an effort that deserves recognition and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Chamber and its members for their important work.

Once again, I am very much looking forward to this summit and to further strengthening the excellent cooperation between Sweden and the Netherlands.

To the Swedish Chamber of Commerce: I wish you prosperous and successful years going forward.