H.E. Bea ten Tusscher: Progress Is in Your Hands

Bea ten Tusscher has been the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bulgaria since December 2017. She was born in 1961 in Hengelo, the Netherlands. In 1985, she completed her Master’s degree in Swedish language and literature at the University of Groningen, and in the same year joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). She was a Deputy Head of the Eastern Europe Department, an Ambassador to Guatemala, Bangladesh and Norway, as well as a Charge d’Affaires a.i. to Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Hungary. She speaks Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish and Swedish. She is married to Rien van Wier who accompanies her in Bulgaria.

Your Excellency, the Netherlands is now investor No. 1 in Bulgaria. Do companies from your country plan new investments in order to maintain leadership?

It is a positive sign that according to the statistics the Netherlands is the biggest investor in Bulgaria. The country offers significant opportunities for Dutch companies, especially in sectors such as finance, ICT, food and agricultural goods. Some of the biggest Dutch companies like Shell, Heineken, ING, Dietsmann invest in Bulgaria. I hope that the interest of Dutch investors will grow. And that requires favourable conditions, such as low corporate taxes, but there is much more than that. When a company wants to invest, the decision depends on many different factors - taxes, highly qualified specialists, low energy prices, geographic position, low costs, good infrastructure. In this respect, your country is well positioned.

But there are some hindrances that every investor around the world takes into account. Unfortunately, there is still considerable bureaucracy in the administration. I know that steps are being taken to relieve it and the process takes time. Another important factor is the existence of unfair competition practices.  We cannot but mention the sense of corruption in the country. According to a Eurobarometer survey, for 83% of Bulgarians corruption is a key problem.  There is a slight improvement in the ranking of Transparency International, but the country is still the last in the EU.

Therefore, there are many conditions that can be improved, and we know that it takes time, political will, joined efforts, and a clear direction to the kind of state you want to be in 10-20 years, for example. I see that Bulgaria is improving, but it can always be better. Things are in your hands.

Is the reverse trend in force - interest of Bulgarian citizens and companies in developing their business in the Netherlands? Can you give such examples?

Yes, I see such examples. I am also in close contact with the Bulgarian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Rumen Aleksandrov. Around 15-20,000 Bulgarians live in the Netherlands, some of them studying, many of them working.

Bilateral trade relations are being developed, for example in the shipbuilding sector. It is important that Bulgarian exports build a stable and good reputation. I think it is good for Bulgaria to present more actively and more of its products in the Netherlands. Bulgarian wine, organic products, cosmetics are at a high level and should be better promoted.

I would also like to pay special attention to tourism, since Bulgaria has tremendous opportunities for its development. I recommend to all my friends to come to Bulgaria. But when I was in Borovets recently, I did not see any Dutch tourists. We do not have mountains, but we are winter sports enthusiasts. Why are there no Dutch tourists here? Because there are no tour operators to organize vacations. Bulgaria has enormous opportunities to position itself on the tourist market in the Netherlands.

Many young Bulgarians choose to study in the Netherlands. Is the interest in studying in your country growing in view of Brexit?

Interest is growing even without Brexit. I'm not sure if Brexit will have an impact on these processes because Britain has excellent education and its language is spoken everywhere. But in the Netherlands, there are also excellent educational opportunities, excellent English programs, effective teaching methods, etc.

The best scenario would then be for those people who have acquired a high level of education and qualification to bring that knowledge and experience back, to progress in their own country and contribute to its positive development.

Bulgaria submitted its application for joining the eurozone. In your opinion, is our country ready to take that step?

It is important for a country to have a vision and an ambitious goal. The admission of new members into the eurozone should only happen in accordance with the Maastricht criteria and the decision on whether they are covered can only be taken by eurozone members. Bulgaria has excellent economic indicators - the public debt is low, the budget deficit is low, the currency is fixed to the euro. But these are just some of the criteria. Everything is in the hands of Bulgaria, the ECB and the members of the eurozone.

Many believe that now is a good moment because our country hosts the presidency of the EU Council and is at the centre of events...

Yes, this is tempting for politicians and they would like to show their voters that the Presidency holds such a power. I would like to say only one thing - so far, the Presidency is doing fine and the country can be proud. Bulgaria receives high trust from its European partners and a better understanding, and that can be used wisely by politicians. But the Presidency lasts only 6 months, and the country should continue its positive development with good policies in order to stay on the radar of its European partners.

One of these policies is expressed in the desire of our country to be a leader in digital development. The Bulgarian Commissioner Mariya Gabriel is even heading the digital society sector. The Netherlands has considerable experience in green and smart urban technologies. How can Bulgaria benefit from it?

We are already sharing our experience in this direction with the European family. Bulgaria has also made significant progress. According to what I have heard from Mrs. Gabriel, in the IT sector in Bulgaria, 31% of the people employed are women, which is excellent, and we can learn from you. In Bulgaria, there is excellent coverage of mobile networks, high-speed Internet, so you have the infrastructure, and if you take advantage of it the best way, you can have excellent opportunities for development.

The Dutch Embassy organizes workshops called Dutch Innovation Cafe, which already have 3 editions. The goal is to create a platform for sharing Dutch experience in innovations - for example, on the implementation of solutions based on the Internet of Things, smart city solutions. Thus, Sofia, which is already developing as an innovative and green city, can use the experience of Amsterdam, which is now a smart city. In addition, the Dutch city of Nijmegen is a European Green Capital, and a number of initiatives to promote sustainable development that aim to actively engage the public are organized there.

The Dutch prince Constantijn is ambassador of the startup community in Startup Delta (since the Netherlands is a peculiar delta of many rivers flowing into the sea).

That is why we call ourselves the Startup Delta - where young companies can get many opportunities for innovation and growth. There are 14 innovative regions in the Netherlands where scientific and technological research is being conducted, and in this area we could share experience with Bulgaria, which is also a dynamically growing startup scene. I know that many European Internet entrepreneurs come to Bulgaria because they find the market attractive and the opportunities for development good.

Commissioner Gabriel's main policy is the single European digital market and she has excellent ideas in this direction so that Bulgaria can play an important role in the digital transformation.

The accession of Bulgaria in the Schengen Area also remains a hot topic. Is our country ready to be part of it?

I fully understand your country's desire to join Schengen, but if it wants to be at the heart of events, it could be, no matter if it is part of Schengen or not.

The Dutch position on the subject is clear and already stated. And I can only say that we would like to see all the criteria fulfilled and I will repeat what our Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during his visit in Sofia in February: We welcome Bulgaria's ongoing efforts to fully join the Schengen area. Much has been done, but there is still a lot of work to do. The accession requires engagement from all parties - government, opposition and society.

 The European Council must take such a decision unanimously. You also know that the Netherlands is not the only country to take this position, other member states also support it.

The solution is in your hands and let's see certain results on meeting the criteria. In this respect, we are only observers of the progress you achieve.