COVER STORY | WOMEN POWER
thing. It’s bad for the UK, it’s bad for the Netherlands and it’s bad for the EU. We Dutch risk suffering twice in financial terms - the UK is one of our most important trading partners so we have a lot to lose and also, a chunk of the EU budget is disappearing. So, in our view, the EU needs to be realigned to a smaller budget. This also means, we need to modernise the budget by setting different priorities, such as migration or innovation. We also need to improve our internal market when it comes to digital services. In addition, we see a need for improved cooperation in areas like the banking and the monetary union. In short, the EU must be able to deal with future challenges that are likely to arise.” From the efficiency of its agriculture, with the Netherlands being the world’s second largest exporter of agricultural goods, to the famous preponderance of bicycles in Amsterdam, Holland is a beacon of low carbon, eco living. “In the Netherlands we are ‘greening’ our cities and this is a topic on which we are actively engaging with our Romanian counterparts. We share our experiences to transfer technologies to help make Romanian cities more live-able. Studies show that 10% more green in a city encourages children to play outside 15% more. We can combine our knowledge about growing certain species of trees and plants, and our understanding of urban planning to help Romania. Very recently 10 Romanian mayors visited
various Dutch cities, looking at ‘Smart Cities’. They were asked to pick up one element that they can apply to their cities and that is ongoing. I am looking forward to the follow-up to this! I have also had constructive meetings with Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea to discuss how this city can be made more cycle friendly.” It’s worth noting that the Dutch and Romanian capitals share something in common - both cities are pancake flat and great for cycling. Having reached the pinnacle of the diplomatic world, Her Excellency has become something of a spokesperson for gender equality and this isn’t a role she intends to shy away from any time soon. “The system is still very difficult, very imbalanced,” she says. “Research has shown that we are still 170 years away from full parity, which is ridiculous when you consider this is 2018. Even in the Dutch foreign service not even 30% of the ambassadorial or higher positions in the Ministry are occupied by women. In my view, one of the key factors is that women, by necessity, don’t have linear careers - they produce and often rear the future generations - and this needs to be understood, accepted and built into recruitment practices. A woman’s career has to be more erratic than a man’s, and until men are going to understand and accept this – and understand that this does not mean a woman is less ambitious – we still have a long way to go.”
For those visiting the Netherlands what is the one thing you would recommend? Amsterdam of course! Seriously! On a lovely spring day like this, you take an early morning flight to Amsterdam with KLM that takes you in to Schiphol airport around 09.00. You head to the Rijksmuseum immediately which means you get to be among the early visitors, which is good! After the museum, you take a coffee in one of the cafes in this part of Amsterdam, the chique and elegant residential part of town, Amsterdam-Zuid. When you finish coffee, it is time for shopping! The designer shops on the PC Hooftstraat are not to be missed. Loaded with shopping bags, it is time for lunch at the Seafood bar. Enjoy fresh Dutch shrimps or a raw herring or a seafood platter if you are really up to it! After that, it is time to look at Amsterdam from the waterfront, so take a canal cruise or hop on the Canal bus. If you opt for the latter, you may want to hop off at the Anne Frank house, to get a real glimpse of what life must have been like for a Jewish girl in hiding during WWII. After all these adventures, it is time for a drink, accompanied with “bitterballen” on any one of the terraces alongside Amsterdam's canals. Just let the afternoon go by, watching the Dutch doing the same. If you are still capable and in the mood, have a bike-ride before dinner, cycle through Vondelpark and admire the locals strolling, relaxing, or doing sports in the park. If you have managed to do all of this, you will have certainly earned yourself a lovely dinner and a nice evening out: go for it in any one of the thousands of restaurants and clubs that make up Amsterdam’s dazzling nightlife!