The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and DCCP both work towards strengthening the economic relations between the Philippines and the Netherlands. Both have their own mandate and clear roles, but there is also complementarity. The below Matrix gives further clarity on the overlap and differences of how both parties can help the private sector.

1. Mandates:

The Embassy represents the Netherlands government in the Republic of the Philippines. In the economic domain, it supports individual Dutch companies in larger government projects and in solving disputes involving the Philippines government.

2. Main tasks and responsibilities:

With a focus on SME’s, the main tasks of the Embassy’s Economic & Trade department are:

A) To provide basic information about doing business in the Philippines and the relevant regulatory framework;

B) Assistance with market entrance by identifying and connecting with potential partners (which can include the DCCP);

The DCCP, as a bilateral Trade Support Organisation, has the following as its main tasks:

A) To provide business information services to (potential) members and other stakeholders, possibly including tailor-made advise, basic market research and reports;

B) Answering trade inquiries especially those that deal with experiences in doing business in the Philippines;

3. Complementarity and cooperation:

Both the Embassy as the DCCP work on trade related issues and would as such inform the wider business community about the services they deliver. The Embassy sits on the Board of DCCP in an advisory capacity. Both organizations interact with (EU) trade related parties and advertise the economic possibilities of trading with the EU market.