Holland open to more liberal visa regime

The Dutch government is open to a more liberal visa regime for knowledge workers from India to deepen economic engagement with India."Last year, we had taken steps towards liberalising our visa regime for knowledge workers. We see a scope for further liberalising it. We will discuss with our Indian counterparts," Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade C E G van Gennip said here following an interactive session organised by CII.

"There is a scope for liberalisation of visa regime and I am glad that the Dutch government is looking at it," India's Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Ashwani Kumar said.

With India companies emerging as major investors in UK, the Dutch government is also planning to woo them.

"A senior official of the Foreign Investment Agency will be stationed in India to facilitate Indian investment in the Netherlands," van Gennip said.

The Netherlands can be a gateway for Indian firms to Europe because of its strategic location and by setting up a base there they can address the 450 million strong market, she said.

Apart from IT, the Netherlands is seeking cooperation with India in pharma, agriculture and infrastructure sectors.