The outgoing Dutch government, at least, has taken ASML’s threat seriously: Daily newspaper De Telegraaf this week reported on an outgoing government operation meant to keep ASML from eyeing greener pastures.
ASML Chief Executive Officer Peter Wennink has cautioned against potential curbs on expat policies, telling POLITICO in January that “if we cannot get the people here, we get the people somewhere else. We will go where we have access to the means to grow the company.” ASML currently has more than 42,000 employees globally and almost 23,000 work in its Netherlands home base.
The De Telegraaf’s coverage of the operation to keep ASML onside — dubbed “Beethoven” — singled out France as a possible new base for ASML if it decides to leave the Netherlands. The report came ahead of a meeting Wednesday between Wennink and outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Wennink told reporters on the margins of the meeting that “the side conditions to be able to grow have to be shaped in the right way.”
“France and Germany, they are taking much better care of this,” he added.
Among ASML’s concerns is a tax break for expat workers; from Jan. 1, workers will have much less time to take advantage of the most favorable tax regime. Pieter Omtzigt, who has emerged as a potential kingmaker in the talks to form a right-leaning cabinet after the election, pushed for the change.
The outgoing government is scrambling to contain the damage. Economy Minister Micky Adriaansens went to Brussels with a plea for an EU-wide tech industry policy — based on a Dutch plan for strategic technologies that also includes provisions for talent development.
