MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Netherlands mock Brexit with a giant Muppet-style monster

The picture of the monster tweeted by Foreign minister Stef Blok, with the warning: “make sure Brexit doesn't sit - or lie - in your way”

The Dutch government sees Brexit not as the elephant in the room but as a giant Muppet-style monster lying on a desk. That is the picture tweeted by Foreign minister Stef Blok, with the warning: “make sure Brexit doesn't sit - or lie - in your way”. There is a link to an official website where Dutch firms can see the potential impact of Brexit on their business.

The Netherlands is among the UK's top trading partners, and Dutch officials say Brexit could deliver a major blow. There is much speculation that the UK could leave the EU without a deal on 29 March - seen by many as the worst-case scenario.

Dutch hospitals have warned that a sudden UK exit could cause shortages of medicines and other medical supplies. But the furry monster is an effort to lift some of that doom-and-gloom, at least for the Dutch. The monster is already a hit on Twitter.

The government is also running radio ads to warn Dutch businesses about the looming impact of Brexit.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Britain was a “diminished” country since its vote for Brexit in 2016 and he warned that a no-deal exit risked “insurmountable” and “devastating” consequences for the UK economy.

In a Financial Times interview he voiced alarm that “the ball is rolling towards the Dover cliff and we are shouting 'Stop the ball from rolling any further' but nobody is doing anything at the moment, at least not on the UK side.”
The Dutch government says there has already been some benefit to the Netherlands from Brexit, however. It says some US$ 328 million in investment came to the Netherlands last year and 42 firms moved there - allegedly as a direct effect of Brexit.

The EU medicines agency has left London for Amsterdam, because of Brexit. The Dutch have also persuaded Japanese electronics' giants Sony and Panasonic to locate their European HQs in the Netherlands.