CROSS-BORDER BUSINESS PARKS

[BIZ: Rotterdam, December 9]
Mark Schenkel in the Dutch quality paper NRC Handelsblad has written an article on cross-border business parks, of which there are three in The Netherlands. His principal focus was on Avantis, the science and Business Park located between Heerlen and Aachen. He refined his focus to look at the developments at Solland Solar, which has 64% of its building in The Netherlands and 36% in Germany. According to ‘The Economist’, prospects for the Solar branch are looking up with the construction of much-needed silicon plants.

The advantages listed are that the location itself can elect the national legal system it wishes to be part of, and these cross-border sites will be eligible for European funds for regional development and national subsidies from both countries involved, although there is considerable red tape involved. The other sites that cross borders are the Europark for agro- industry, and logistics between Coevorden and Drentse, Emlichheim in Lower Saxony and Hazeldonk/Meer (a logistics park between the Dutch town of Breda and the Flemish municipality of Hoogstraten).
http://www.nrc.nl