2 August 2006 - The four largest cities in The Netherlands can expect to achieve a yearlty growth of 1.6 - 2.9 percent. This is the outcome of a study by ECORYS. Amsterdam rises in the growth chart of European cities, while Rotterdam stays behind.

The positions of the four largest Dutch cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht are respectively 14 (+4),  23 (-3), 29 (+7) and 40 (-7). Like in previous years, it's the East European cities that show the most (medium term) economic growth.

These figures can be found in the recently published study European Rgebional Prospects 2006. This publication comprises economic growth expextations for the years up to 2010, for cities and regions in all 25 EU countries, plus Norway and Switzerland. European Regional prospects is a yearly study, published by ERECO, an organisation combining ECORYS and several other leading European economic and social research and consulting companies.

Four largest Dutch cities
The calculated yearly growth for Dutch cities is: Amsterdam 2.9%, Utrecht 2.3%, The Hague 2.1%, Rotterdam 1.6%. Amsterdam is leading the Dutch list and continues to do very well in European perspective. Utrecht and The Hague are stable in the middle bracket, while Rotterdam drops another seven places, compared to last year. Amsterdam and Utrecht have been performing better than Rotterdam for a number of years. The relative growth of Amsterdam is caused by its international focus on growing markets, i.e. the IT sector. Utrecht also has a wide and modern economic structure, amied at financial and business services. Rotterdam and The Hague both focus more on one specific sector: the harbour in Rotterdam and the public sector in The Hague. Both of these sectors show lower growth expectation figues than the financial and business sectors, which are clearly on the rise. Amsterdam is reaping the benefits of its trade relations on the world market. Utrecht has a strong national position in IT and business.

The Netherlands
Economic growth expexctancy for The Netherlands as a whole for 2005-2010 is 2% average. That's the same percentage as ity is for the EU 25. The Dutch provices of Randstad and Flevoland dominate the national growth charts for regions.

Other European cities
Economic expectancy for East European cities remains positive. All over Europe, cities show economic resilience. Dublin, Scandinavian cities of Helsinki and Stockholm, Athens and the French cities of Lyon and Toulouse do well. Among the European stragglers are - remarkably - three German cities (Cologne, Berlin and Frankfurt) and two Italian cities (Bologna and Turin). Lille in France has the lowest expected growth rate.

For more information, please contact:
 
ECORYS Netherlands
Marketing & Communications
Robert Eijkelestam
Watermanweg 44 / PO Box 4175
3067 GG Rotterdam / 3006 AD Rotterdam
The Netherlands
T - 0031 10 453 88 57
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W - www.ecorys.nl