With Brexit, more than 40 companies left the UK and went to the Netherlands in 2018

Parliamentarians supporting Britain's exit from the European Union wonder whether the agreement will actually guarantee the resumption of control over the borders of British territory. Others who support the UK's continued membership of the European Union want a new referendum – Image: Getty Images/BBC

In total, 42 companies that were headquartered in the United Kingdom moved to the Netherlands in 2018, due to uncertainty related to Brexit, according to figures released on Saturday (9) by the Dutch authorities.

“In 2018, the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) brought 42 companies to the Netherlands due to Brexit,” the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), part of the country's Ministry of Economic Affairs, announced.

Together, these companies represent 1,923 jobs and investments of at least 291 million euros for the Netherlands, the NFIA noted in its annual results.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will also leave London to set up shop in Amsterdam.

In January, the Dutch agency announced that it was in contact with more than 250 foreign companies that wanted to start operations in the Netherlands, after Britain's exit from the European Union, which is still scheduled to take place on March 29. The agency said that these companies mainly operate in the financial, media and health sectors.

Quoting a statement, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Erik Webbs celebrated the move and highlighted “the importance of a good business climate in the Netherlands, with increasing uncertainty regarding Brexit and changes in global trade policies.”

“The impending Brexit and tensions over international trade provide opportunities for Dutch companies,” said Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag.

Among the companies that announced their move to the Netherlands last year were international finance companies such as MarketAxess and Azimo, as well as marine insurance company UK P&I Club.

Japanese investment bank Norinchukin and British media group TVT Media also announced the expansion of their offices in the Netherlands, partly due to Brexit, the NFIA said.

In 2019, several companies, including Discovery Group and Bloomberg, have already announced their intention to invest in the Netherlands, following the divorce between London and the European Union, according to the NFIA.

These are mainly British companies, but also American and Asian organizations, “which are rethinking their current European structure due to the uncertainties surrounding Brexit,” the NFIA said on Saturday.