Expatriate community: “Maastricht needs an international network for expatriates”

German expat Ulrike Heigl describes the needs of the expatriate community in Maastricht and offers a few suggestions.

My arrival in Maastricht in January 2002 was acclaimed with a big party on the market square and even some fireworks. Well… to be honest, it was not really my presence that the city of Maastricht was celebrating, but the inauguration of the Euro. The new currency and I arrived here the same time and I felt proud to have moved from London to the most European city of the continent, at least in my opinion.

This was the place where the treaty of Maastricht, ratified in 1992, brought us the new European currency and strengthened the idea of a united European economy. As a passionate pro-European, I felt disappointed by the hesitative and pessimistic mood in my home country Germany.

It did not take much time however before I came down to earth again. It was undoubtedly more practical to travel with one currency only instead of keeping six different purses in my cupboard and always making sure I had the right one in my suitcase. But for the rest, I soon came to realise, life isn’t that easy for expatriates in South Limburg. In the shops, at cultural events and in public transportation one doesn’t come far without speaking Dutch. Expats and foreign students are largely left to themselves in finding their way around in Maastricht.

Independent initiatives
Important information and administrative forms are often available in Dutch only. Newcomers, who need to fill in all sorts of documents during their first weeks in the country, often find themselves at wit’s ends. There were days when I felt so depressed, just because I was not able to find out for example where to get hold of a “restzak”, the red plastic bag to collect my household waste. It was only by chance that I saw a lady buying them at the cashier of the supermarket.

I was filled with happiness the day I managed to find out how to import my car to the Netherlands. But I suffered a set-back when I tried to fix an appointment by telephone. The friendly automatic voice of a lady asked me to announce where in the Netherlands I would like to have my appointment. I can’t remember how many times I said “Elsloo”, trying to sound as Dutch as possible; but the reply from the answering machine was unforgiving: “U bent verbonden met het RDW in Heerenveen!” (You are connected to the RDW in Heerenveen!”)

Luckily there are a few independent organisations, clubs and publications in and around Maastricht such as the Lions Club Maastricht Mondial, the International Women’s Club South Limburg and web-magazines like the Meuse-Rhine Journal and Crossroads, which do provide support to newcomers in South Limburg.

The native-English members of the Lions Club Maastricht Mondial have translated the “IENS guide” for restaurants in South Limburg into English because a compendium in English is not available in the region. The International Women’s Club South Limburg has compiled an excellent “Handbook for Newcomers”, containing all essential information about settling in the area, written from a newcomer’s point of view. A new project at the IWC is offering support to expatriate women who are not proficient in Dutch or English.

Single individuals however still find it difficult to obtain general practical information and make social contacts. Each academic institute or international organisation tries on its own to help its international staff and foreign students with elementary needs: from house hunting to residency permits, from health insurance to driving licence.

The city of Maastricht does not have any official helpdesk for foreign newcomers and its website does not provide links to the few helpful independent initiatives.

Integration is more than learning a language
Today there is much discussion about integration in the Netherlands. We hear that foreigners coming to live in the Netherlands should learn Dutch and integrate.

Nevertheless thousands of foreign students, professors and employees come to Maastricht for six months or one year only. Such a short period does not give them enough time to learn Dutch, especially if they have come to pursue studies in English or if they are busy all day long with a stressful job.

This doesn’t mean that temporary residents in Maastricht do want to integrate. Integration is more than learning a language. Maastricht is a charming city and foreign students and expatriates take full part in the city’s life. They play a significant role in South Limburg’s economy. They visit restaurants, go shopping, rent houses… They give Maastricht its delightful international flair.

The impact of international organisations in Maastricht
In 2004 the City Council of Maastricht commissioned a report to find out how many international institutes and organisations were based in Maastricht. The aim of the survey was to obtain information about the economic and cultural benefits for Maastricht and how these could be optimised.

The conclusions of the survey revealed how significant the presence of international institutes is for the region’s economy. A few figures from the report: “7.000 people are employed at the 135 registered institutes and organisations. Their income reaches a total of about EUR 500 million. The expenses of the institutes related to travelling costs, accommodation, maintenance of the buildings and other jobs for the local economy like printing etc, are estimated at EUR 75 million on a yearly basis.”

The report further disclosed that “30.000 students and employees live in Maastricht and another 30.000 visit the city on a temporary basis to study or work at the international institutes. These temporary visitors are guest lecturers, consultants and staff from partner institutes.”

The presence of these international organisations has a huge financial impact for the city and the local economy especially because Maastricht’s foreign community is not made up only of young students but of well earning staff members of international companies and institutes. A number of them bring along their families and invite friends and relatives to visit as well.

Disappointing attempts to support the international community
After publication of the report, the municipality made a few attempts to get the networking started. The website www.maastrichtinstitutes.info was launched in February 2005, with information about Maastricht’s international institutes, addresses and links to develop communication between the municipality and these organisations.

Unfortunately this project has been lying still for a while and the report’s recommendations to create a newsletter and an agenda with important dates have not been implemented.

Last May the city of Maastricht invited its international community to a boat trip on the Maas river. The “International Party” was well attended by representatives from several institutes, international companies, foreign students and expatriates. There were also several Dutch entrepreneurs who see the international community as their target group. But sadly enough, the get-together fell short of the expectations.

At this unique occasion (once you’ve embarked, you can’t escape!) I feel that the municipality missed the chance to create synergy between the many participants. Instead of giving an extensive presentation of the history of Maastricht, the organisers could have introduced the various organisations, institutes and companies to one other and to the audience…

Competitive locations are burgeoning in the new EU states and also nearby. After the German federal government relocated to Berlin in 1999, the German city of Bonn – only 120 kilometres away from Maastricht - tried hard to fill in the gap. In July 2006 the German chancellor Angela Merkel and UN secretary general Kofi Annan opened a UN campus in Bonn. Twelve organisations related to the UN have now settled in Bonn and more are expected to follow. Maastricht’s reputation as an international centre in the region is at risk!

Need for a platform to bundle information and services
The international community is not asking for an extraordinary input. A well maintained website with topical information and a newsletter for expatriates could be a first, essential step. The FAQ’s of expatriates - how does the Dutch health system work?, how does one find the nearest international school? and what on earth is a sofi-number? - could be answered on this website, which could be linked to the official site of the city of Maastricht.

Ideally an office with regular opening hours in the new municipal building could provide newcomers with information and help them with paperwork.

Bringing local entrepreneurs in contact with the expatriate community, at an international fair for example, could also be beneficial for all parties. In cities like Amsterdam, Brussels and Den Haag such events have been organised for years with great success.

Maastricht needs to define its way into the future and start working on an international network for expatriates and for the existing international organisations. Only such a network will keep and strengthen Maastricht’s position as an economic and scientific centre in Europe.

By Ulrike Heigl

Ulrike Heigl, 41, a German architect and Interior designer, lives with her husband in Bunde. She was the President of the International Women’s Club South Limburg from 2004 to 2006 and is involved with various international organisations.

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