Who wouldn't want to live and work in Amsterdam?

If anyone in the Netherlands is happy about Great Britain leaving the European Union, they are keeping it to themselves. This country was built on trade, and huge quantities of goods from the port are sent across the English Channel.

But if Brexit is definitely going to happen, Amsterdam intends to seize the opportunity. The deputy mayor of this city is already leading a team lobbying large global companies to leave Great Britain.

"I am very sad about Brexit, but I am happy about how the situation is developing for Amsterdam," said Deputy Mayor Udo Kok, adding that at least 30 companies have already decided to move from the UK to the Netherlands. “This city is so beautiful to live in. Who wouldn't want to live in Amsterdam for a while?”

As Britain faces a tumultuous exit from the European bloc, there is a spirit of opportunism mixed with fear in European cities. From Amsterdam, through Paris, to Frankfurt, local authorities are competing to be the first to welcome companies seeking refuge from the uncertainty of the UK.

Communities on both sides of the Channel are already dealing with economic weakness caused by the fact that the prospect of a no-deal Brexit is causing investment to decline. In the past year, the British economy recorded a growth of only 1,4 percent, the lowest since 2012.

Above all, a sense of resignation has taken hold as a result of Brexit, even before it has begun, bringing changes that are almost certainly permanent. Numerous companies moved to the continent, taking their jobs with them. The European Medicines Agency, a pharmaceutical company, is in the final stages of closing its headquarters in London and moving to Amsterdam.

Whatever happens in the future, none of this will change.

Amsterdam failed to attract global banks, as most of them opted for cities where they already had offices, especially Frankfurt. Bankers don't like Dutch laws that limit the amount of bonus payouts.

The city has, however, had success in other parts of the financial industry, including managers and traders. Last month, Japan's Bank Norinchukin chose Amsterdam as the headquarters of its representative office in Europe, followed by London's Bloomberg and Turquoise.

"We talked to about 100 institutions," says Gerben Everts, a member of the executive board of the Dutch Financial Markets Authority, which regulates financial services companies. "At least 30" applied for a license to work in the Netherlands.

Ever since the referendum in June 2016, when the British voted for Brexit, the Netherlands has been on alert. Britain is the third most important trading partner of the Netherlands, right after Germany and Belgium. The port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe. Schiphol Airport is an important station for air cargo transport, but also a crucial transit point for the Dutch flower industry.

If any of these were to be disrupted, a large number of people would be out of a job.

Kok, the deputy mayor of Amsterdam, is an economist by profession and once worked for the International Monetary Fund. Amsterdam's economy weighs around 160 billion euros annually, he says. Brexit will reduce the sum by one billion.

"That's two or three thousand jobs," he adds.

In search of compensation, the city's economic affairs agency is trying to attract companies that will provide new jobs for Amsterdam residents.

The arrival of the European Medicines Agency is significant. It employs 900 people, and work is currently underway to build the office space where its headquarters will be located in Amsterdam.

Since the European Medicines Agency decided on Amsterdam, Kok and his team are trying to attract companies involved in related businesses, such as drug manufacturers, law firms and insurance companies that work with the pharmaceutical industry.

Koko's group also leads tours around the city, using the opportunity to highlight all the good sides of Amsterdam: fast internet connection; creative workforce; accessible airport with more than 300 direct flights.

"We took a very Dutch approach - modest but firm and persuasive," says Kok. “We didn't go to London like vultures and chase companies, or try to impress them in palaces with seven-course dinners. We offer them coffee and cakes".

Elmer de Brun spends most of the day on the phone with businessmen worried about Brexit. He is the head of international affairs for the Dutch Transport and Logistics Association, which represents around 5.200 companies.

De Brun advises everyone the same: companies should apply for permission to transport goods from the Netherlands to Britain after Brexit.

But De Brun admits that the possibilities are limited, because no one knows how things will turn out.

"We tell them to prepare for the worst and hope for the best, but we don't know exactly what the worst that can happen is," says De Brun. “It is beyond our power.”

The New York Times International Report