The more embassies the better, in every corner of the world. That’s the old-fashioned approach. But now it’s time to tighten our belts, all that diplomacy is just too pricey. On Tuesday in the Lower House, Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal set out his plans for a new-look Dutch diplomatic corps.

There were two things the main parties could agree on: firstly, diplomacy is crucial in a globalising world, and secondly, the way it is, much too expensive. So it’s time to let go of the idea that you have to sprinkle Dutch embassies around the world wherever you can.

The Netherlands now has 113 embassies, 24 consulate generals and 19 posts with international law organisations. So according to current government thinking, the odd embassy in Latin America and Africa wouldn’t be missed. The age of the ‘laptop ambassador’ is nigh.

Incredibly important Asia
Socialist Party MP Ewout Irrgang proposed working together with Germany, which now has diplomatic representation in Iraqi Kurdistan. But as far as the free-market VVD and other parties are concerned the emphasis needs to move further east, particularly to China and India.

It was VVD MP and former minister Atzo Nicolaï who first proposed the idea to take a critical look at the Dutch diplomatic service.

“It’s good to have an embassy anywhere. But if you see how many there are in Africa, compared to the incredibly important countries in Asia, there’s got to be a shift. And Europe has a very different role compared to 20 or 30 years ago,” says Mr Nicolaï.

The minister's answer
The minister hasn’t made up his mind yet. Yes, there is to be a switch in emphasis towards economic diplomacy. But in the future there will still be more to diplomacy than just making money. So what role should the Netherlands opt for, tradesman or preacher? “Preferably a socially responsible tradesman,” is Uri Rosenthal’s answer.

So far, the thinking appears to go in all directions. Take the Dutch embassy in Vatican City. Just a few kilometres away in Rome there’s another one. Surely one is enough. Yet why should the embassy in Uruguay close while we retain our representatives in Sao Tomé and Principe and Belize? Speaking of which, is it worthwhile having an embassy in Azerbaijan?

Out of Africa
The foreign minister hopes his reorganisation will save 55 million euros. But will a ‘laptop ambassador’ working from a larger post in the region or from The Hague really be up to the job? Christian Democrat Henk-Jan Ormel warned the minister that the presence of an ambassador is a matter of prestige. And to function properly, he or she needs to be submerged in the society of the country.

Nine embassies in total are to close their doors: four in Africa, five in Latin America. There’s also scope to slim down the diplomatic service in the European Union, the foreign ministry says, and there’ll be extra representatives in China and Panama.

Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal is appointing an advisory board to overhaul the diplomatic corps as constructively as possible. Because history shows that once you’ve closed an embassy, it’s no easy matter to open it up again.

(mb/rk)