The ambassador - Argentina-en
Meet the ambassador
Mauritz Verheijden
Mauritz Verheijden is the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay since August 2024.
Read the curriculum vitae of ambassador Verheijden.
In 2024, Mauritz Verheijden took up his new post as Ambassador in Buenos Aires. Together with his team, he aims to strengthen relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Argentina. The Embassy is also responsible for relations with Uruguay and Paraguay and is committed to further enhancing relations with both countries.
What was your first impression of the country?
It is not my first time here. In 1996, as a young student, I did an internship for a Dutch bank on the impact of MERCOSUR on trade in agricultural commodities. For this internship, I spent some time in Buenos Aires. I have excellent memories of those days: strolling through La Boca, trying morcilla in a restaurant in Palermo, visiting the offices of SAGyP (the Ministry of Agriculture) and talking to the experts there.
Of course, that was 30 years ago and many things have happened since, both in Argentina’s recent history and in my own career. But it is wonderful to be back. And some impressions are still the same. I love how warm and accessible the Argentinians are. The kisses and hugs when meeting. The ‘mate’ that is being shared around (even if I don’t drink it, I love to observe this custom!). This has not changed.
Institutionally, an interesting aspect of Argentina is the fact that it is a federal country. This makes it important to have both good relations with the country’s central government, in Buenos Aires, and the governments of the various provinces, who are responsible for various key issues, including in the domain of attracting foreign investments.
What does the Dutch embassy do for Dutch people in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay?
We are available 24/7 for Dutch nationals, whether directly through our embassy in Buenos Aires or indirectly via our Honorary Consuls in Montevideo and Asunción. We are able to assist in matters related to the issuance of travel documents and we can help persons who need consular assistance during their stay in the country. Moreover, we provide visa services that allow people to travel to the Netherlands or to the Caribbean islands of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint-Maarten. Under the cultural exchange programme called ‘Working Holiday’, young people from Argentina and Uruguay can get a chance to familiarize themselves with the Dutch culture by living in the Netherlands for up to a year.
In addition, we actively assist Dutch businesses. For any company wishing to do business in Argentina, Paraguay or Uruguay we provide information about the local market and put them in touch with potential partners. In the Argentinian province of Córdoba, we have a Netherlands Business Support Office (NBSO) which is daily helping Dutch companies with exporting, setting up a business abroad or finding market information or business partners. Together with the NBSO, our Embassy can do a lot to strengthen the economic ties between the Netherlands and Argentina.
What are the main policy themes that the Embassy in Buenos Aires is working on?
Sustainable production, trade and investment are key priorities for this embassy. The most promising sectors for cooperation are the agro-industrial and energy sectors. For instance, we have a dedicated team of our Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature working on a daily basis with local actors to promote the exchange of knowledge and technologies, fostering innovation and contributing to more sustainable agricultural value chains. In the field of energy, we believe countries like Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay are well positioned to capitalize on their natural resources in a sustainable way and help other countries, including the Netherlands, in making their energy transition. And in turn, Dutch companies have a lot of expertise, for instance in anything related to water and logistics, that can be helpful in this regard.
Naturally, we also wish to engage on foreign policy and pressing matters on the multilateral agenda. We aim to continue strengthening our equal and reliable partnership with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay by fostering positive engagement on topics of mutual interest. For all three countries, the EU-MERCOSUR treaty will create a market that connects over 700 million people from across Europe and South America and will boost economic and political cooperation.
What do you hope to achieve as ambassador in the coming years?
Along with the rest of the team I want to work hard on fostering more intense ties between the Netherlands on the one hand and Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay on the other hand. We are living in more complex geopolitical times. In order to make our respective countries less dependent on others, I believe forging these ties will be of great mutual benefit. Culturally, there has always been a great affinity between our countries. Our economies are complementary to each other, our citizens can gain a lot from increased economic exchange. Not to mention that we all stand to gain from exchanging with partner countries that uphold the same standards of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
How do you relax after a day's work?
You’d only been ambassador for a few months when Argentina won the World Cup. What was that like?
In which main areas are the Netherlands and Argentina working together?
‘Agriculture and the economy – stimulating bilateral trade – is one of the main issue that the Dutch embassy focuses on. The circular economy and innovation are other topics we’re going to be devoting more attention to going forward.
Sustainable energy has a lot of potential here, but it’s underdeveloped. This is an area where I see opportunities, and not just in Argentina, by the way. I’m also ambassador to Uruguay and Paraguay. Uruguay is a small economy, but it’s developing by leaps and bounds in the field of green hydrogen. We’re seeking to encourage the exchange of knowledge and partnerships in this area. One of the tasks of an embassy is to bring together knowledge and actors, by which I mean businesspeople, companies, knowledge institutions and government bodies, from the two countries in question.
One of the challenges facing Paraguay is deforestation. The Netherlands is seeking to promote sustainable agriculture and re-planting. Much of this deforestation is caused by farmers clearing land to plant crops like soybeans. To prevent deforestation, you need to consider alternatives, because farmers need a source of income.
We also cooperate with Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay in the field of human rights, specifically on the themes of gender equality and LGBTI rights. To give a concrete example, Argentina recently appointed a special ambassador for feminist foreign policy. The Netherlands is currently developing such a policy as well and we will therefore work together to learn from each other.’
What do you regard as your most important task as ambassador?
‘As ambassador I try to identify a society’s dynamics and energy. And I aim to use them for our common benefit. Particularly in Argentina, where the economic crisis left deep marks in society. We recently had a breakfast with local authorities and members of the business community from the port of Rosario. Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb of Rotterdam was also there. He said: “Don’t fixate on difficult circumstances. Make use of your shared influential position, identify and seize opportunities and don’t wait until the economic situation changes.” I saw that his message had the desired effect on his audience: they were enthusiastic about what he had to say.
I think this is also what our role as the Netherlands should be. In Argentina the Dutch are known for our entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. Previously, embassies were mainly concerned with promoting Dutch trade interests. Obviously we still do this, for example by assisting Dutch businesses here. These days, though, we try to work together to address shared challenges, such as climate change, sustainability and energy.’
Can you offer a few examples?
‘I’m always inspired by initiatives led by small-scale, young and/or female entrepreneurs. We shouldn’t underestimate their impact. A startup from Córdoba recently won a prize at the World Economic Forum in Davos for an initiative that applied data intelligence to sustainable water use. I immediately asked our Argentinian agricultural staff member to get in touch with the company.
Another example is a partnership between Wageningen University and CREA – a platform comprising two to three thousand small agricultural producers – to develop production chains together, enabling these businesses to produce more, in a better and more sustainable way.
I’d also like to mention “Working Holiday”, a programme that gives young people from Argentina and Uruguay the opportunity to spend a year in the Netherlands gaining work experience and getting to know our culture in all its diversity. And it works the other way too: young people from the Netherlands can do the same in Argentina and Uruguay. It’s a wonderful project, which not enough people know about.’
What would you like to achieve as ambassador?
‘It strikes me that we talk a lot about untapped potential. But in fact, promising small-scale local or regional initiatives are being developed all the time – in the wine industry, in water management, or port management. I hope we can highlight those activities and promote that potential.
In addition, in 2023 our economic, agricultural and human rights sections will be exploring opportunities in Uruguay. It’s a small country, but it has a stable economy and democracy. A like-minded country with many opportunities, for example when it comes to green hydrogen. I hope my team can not only bring together the right players to find solutions to shared problems and inspire people, but also get satisfaction from their work.’