Washington, DC - “The free-enterprise system… is the only system where a business started in a dorm room can disrupt a billion-dollar industry, and where risk-takers can rise from the crowd if they’ll work hard and have a good idea.” – U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, March 18, 2019.

Secretary Pompeo will travel to the Netherlands on June 3, where he will participate in the opening of the ninth Global Entrepreneurship Summit alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.  The Secretary will make remarks explaining why innovation thrives in free societies.  He will also meet with Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok to discuss issues of mutual concern.

 GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMIT: BRINGING THE FUTURE TO LIFE

• The United States and the Netherlands are co-hosting the ninth Global Entrepreneurship Summit in The Hague from June 3-5, 2019.  This preeminent annual gathering convenes entrepreneurs, investors, and their supporters from around the world.  An estimated 20,000 emerging leaders have participated in GES since 2010.
• The 2019 GES theme is The Future Now, which stresses how innovative entrepreneurs can deliver solutions today to the world’s challenges while creating road maps for future economic prosperity.
• The Summit will gather the world’s most innovative entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers, and innovation ecosystem partners from more than 120 countries in five key sectors: Agriculture/Food, Connectivity, Energy, Health, and Water.  Summit participants will also discuss access to finance, job creation, and women’s economic empowerment.
• The State Department advances the U.S. economic agenda by promoting the U.S. as a destination for foreign direct investment, which supports more than 7 million U.S. jobs and comprises 25 percent of U.S. goods exports annually.

 A CLOSE U.S.-DUTCH RELATIONSHIP

• The United States has one of its largest trade surpluses with the Netherlands (around $24 billion).  The Netherlands is one of the largest investors in the United States, supporting more than 800,000 jobs.  The United States is the largest foreign investor in the Netherlands.
• In July 2018, President Trump and Prime Minister Mark Rutte agreed to work to increase Dutch investment, with the goal of supporting one million U.S. jobs in the coming years.
• More than 2,700 U.S. companies – nearly a quarter of all foreign-owned companies in the Netherlands – directly employ approximately a quarter of a million Dutch workers.
• The two countries work collectively in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, now 80 members strong.
• The Netherlands is a founding member of the NATO Alliance and a strong supporter of our collective security.  The Netherlands contributes forces to NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence in Lithuania and NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.
• The United States and the Netherlands work together closely on chemical disarmament issues and are steadfastly committed to reinforcing the global norm against the use of chemical weapons.