Queen Maxima of The Netherlands meets with guests at the Partnership

Queen Maxima greets guests at Partnership Tower

Queen Maxima and Bob Harvey

Bob Harvey and Ingrid Thijssen, President of VNO-NCW, sign MOU

The Greater Houston Partnership hosted Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands on Friday, September 9, as part of a Dutch working visit to Texas.  

This event was organized jointly with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the U.S. and focused on the economic ties and shared societal challenges between the Netherlands and Houston. Her Majesty was accompanied by a delegation of CEOs and Ministers from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands and the United States maintain a long-standing partnership that has created jobs, investments, and opportunities for both nations. When examining U.S. trading partnerships on a global scale, the Netherlands is the trading partner with which the United States has the largest trading surplus. 

In 2021, Dutch-U.S. economic ties supported an estimated 955,000 American jobs, (an 11% increase from 2020) and an estimated 106,000 of those jobs were based in Texas (a 24% increase).

The Netherlands remains one of Houston’s key strategic trade and investment partners. Trade between our regions was valued at $13.8 billion in 2021, a ten-year high, and Dutch businesses support more jobs in Texas than in any other state in the nation. 
 

“Visits like today’s with Her Majesty Queen Maxima and her business delegation from the Netherlands present an incredibly unique opportunity to exchange views, share experiences, and identify opportunities for further strengthening collaboration with our international partners,” said Partnership President and CEO Bob Harvey. “As established global energy centers and port hubs, there is an abundance of opportunities for Houston and the Netherlands to engage on issues like climate change, resiliency, technology, and more.”

An impressive group of over 150 business executives and governmental leaders from both regions participated in Friday’s events. At the conclusion of the CEO Roundtable an official memorandum of understanding was signed in the presence of Her Majesty outlining the strong commitment to the bilateral relationship between The Netherlands and Houston in the areas discussed. The MOU was signed Bob Harvey, President and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership and Ingrid Thijssen, President of VNO-NCW –the largest employers organization in the Netherlands. 

Learn more about Houston's international business and trade relationships.