“Open Border To Hard Workers”

Chairman of the board at Philips Gerard Kleisterlee thinks that the Netherlands should open the border to people who could make a welcome contribution to our economy.

During a meeting with politicians and businessmen in The Hague he referred to the debate in the Netherlands on the admission of Polish workers. “What is the Netherlands doing?” the Philips head is wondering.

Economic growth in a country like Ireland is many times that of our country, Kleisterlee said. He attributed that success mainly to the admission of “hardworking, well educated and talented people.”

The chairman of the board is annoyed at the “conservatism” in the Netherlands with regard to European unification. That was not an important issue in the election campaigns, but the Netherlands must stop “looking inwards,” he said. He called on the cabinet to put Europe on the political agenda once again.