EU country briefing: The Netherlands
A founding member of the European project, the Netherlands has been a strong proponent of regional cooperation since the end of World War II, as shown by the then-created Benelux customs union.
View Article#EU2019 – Dutch PM Rutte turns EP campaign into duel with far-right
Prime Minister Mark Rutte has upped the ante in the Dutch campaign for the European Parliament elections, turning the vote into a two-way battle between his liberal-conservative VVD party and the...
View ArticleDutch vote boosts chances of ‘progressive alliance’ in EU Parliament
The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. Before reading The Capitals today,...
View Article14 EU countries call for ‘unified approach’ to gene editing in plants
The Netherlands and Estonia are leading a coalition of 14 EU member states calling on the next European Commission to update EU GMO laws with regard to so-called new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs).
View ArticleItaly holds Netherlands, EU ‘responsible’ for migrant boat
Italy's hardline Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he would hold the Netherlands and the European Union "responsible" for the fate of 42 migrants that Rome has blocked from disembarking at Italian...
View ArticleMerkel speaks in favour of increasing EU’s 2030 climate target to 55%
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have announced they would collaborate to strengthen climate protection at EU level, following a meeting in the Hague on Thursday (22...
View ArticleDraghi urges Germany, Netherlands to invest against risk of recession
The European Central Bank said on Thursday (12 September) it will reactivate its bond-buying programme, stepping up the monetary stimulus to maintain economic growth, but its president Mario Draghi...
View ArticleEU justice dismisses Starbucks tax ruling case, upholds Fiat
The EU general court rejected on Tuesday (24 September) the European Commission's decision that Starbucks had enjoyed a selective advantage in the Netherlands but confirmed assessment that Fiat had...
View ArticleGermany and Netherlands sign joint declaration of intent on energy transition
Following the Dutch government's Berlin visit on Wednesday (2 October), Germany and the Netherlands signed a joint declaration of intent laying out a common energy transition plan, as well as closer...
View ArticleEU faces budget deadlock as national positions drift further away
The Commission's proposal for the EU's new long-term budget has been caught in the crossfire as net contributors criticise the idea of having to pay more while a number of southern and eastern member...
View ArticleEuropean Green Deal gives COP25 a ‘breath of fresh air’
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen jolted the COP25 conference in Madrid when she presented her European Green Deal yesterday (11 December). But many observers, including young people, are...
View ArticleEU’s creeping clean energy efforts risk missing 2020 goal
Renewable energy made up 18% of the EU’s power consumption in 2018, according to statistics compiler Eurostat. But the slow pace of development may leave the bloc short of its 2020 target.
View ArticleEurostar launches direct Dutch link, targets short-haul flights
Cross-Channel rail link Eurostar will operate a return London-Amsterdam service from April, the company announced on Tuesday (4 February), as it aims to up its game against short-haul plane travel....
View ArticleFossil fuel firms team up on large-scale hydrogen
Oil and gas company Royal Dutch Shell and Dutch gas company Gasunie plan to build a massive green hydrogen plant in the northern Netherlands in the next decade, the companies said on Thursday (27...
View ArticleDutch test hydrogen train as EU alliance set to launch
The Netherlands wrapped up testing on its first foray into hydrogen train technology at the weekend, as the European Commission readies a strategy for the clean fuel that will debut on Tuesday (10 March).
View ArticleNetherlands, Austria push for tougher conditions for corona-loans
The Hague and Vienna are insisting on including stricter conditionality attached to loans for coronavirus-hit countries, toughening up the formula proposed by the eurozone’s bailout fund (ESM) and seen...
View ArticleNetherlands denies blocking Sassoli from coronavirus talks
The Netherlands has never said that European Parliament President David Sassoli should be excluded from talks on the EU's response to the coronavirus crisis, a Dutch spokesperson told EURACTIV.com...
View ArticleDutch spell out green ideas for EU recovery fund
The Netherlands has floated proposals to ensure a green recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, suggesting an “exclusion list” of economic activities like nuclear power, which the Dutch believe should be...
View ArticleGermany still hesitating to link stimulus packages with climate targets
France, the Netherlands and Austria want to put environmentally friendly conditions on aid for corporations. In Germany, companies themselves are calling for a climate stimulus package, yet Economy...
View ArticleDutch do Danish deal to hit clean power target
The Netherlands agreed on Friday (19 June) to pay Denmark €100 million as part of an arrangement that will allow the Dutch government to declare at least 8 TWh of Danish surplus renewable power on its...
View ArticleDutch pin hopes on ‘hydrogen valley’ to revive declining gas region
Near-silent buses shift around in a residential neighbourhood in the province of Groningen, home to one of the greenest industrial areas in the world. We’re in 2026 and the Netherlands gives the world...
View ArticleVestager hails KLM’s ‘very good’€3.4bn bailout
The European Commission has approved the Dutch government’s €3.4 billion support package for national airline KLM, despite criticism levelled at conditions linked to pay cuts.
View ArticleGas grid operators unveil plan for European hydrogen infrastructure ‘backbone’
A group of eleven European gas infrastructure companies from nine EU member states presented on Friday (17 July) a plan to create a dedicated hydrogen pipeline network of almost 23,000 km by 2040, to...
View ArticleMoscow withdraws from MH17 talks with Netherlands, Australia
Russia said Thursday (15 October) it would withdraw from consultations with the Netherlands and Australia over the MH17 flight shot down over Ukraine in 2014, complaining of "vicious" attempts to pin...
View ArticleGermany’s RWE uses Energy Charter Treaty to challenge Dutch coal phase-out
German energy giant RWE has used the Energy Charter Treaty to claim compensation from the Netherlands over its planned phase-out of coal from the country’s electricity mix by 2030.
View ArticleThe Coronavirus exposes the Netherlands as a tax haven – again
Governments miss out on billions of tax revenues annually as the result of tax havens such as The Netherlands. The Coronavirus pandemic tellingly shows how such tax havens undermine public policy and...
View ArticleEnergy Charter Treaty strikes again as Uniper sues Netherlands over coal...
The energy company, Uniper, intends to file a claim against the Dutch government over its coal phase-out – the second case this year against the plan under the Energy Charter Treaty.
View ArticleIn about-turn, Dutch, Germany announce freeze on deportations to Afghanistan
The Netherlands and Germany on Wednesday abruptly reversed course and said they would not for the time being deport Afghan citizens who are seeking asylum, given the rapidly escalating conflict in...
View ArticleThe Netherlands publishes non-paper on upcoming Data Act
A non-paper pressing for data sharing provisions, interoperability requirements, and data access for the public sector in the European Commissions Data Act proposal was circulated by the Dutch...
View ArticleUK says COVID surge ‘extremely difficult’ as Omicron grips Europe
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday (20 December) he would tighten coronavirus curbs to slow the spread of the Omicron variant if needed, after the Netherlands began a fourth lockdown...
View ArticleFrance opens access to quantum computing to researchers, start-ups
The French government launched a new programme to link quantum machines and supercomputers on Tuesday (4 January). The resources will be made available to researchers and companies to ensure France is...
View ArticleCoalition against EU debt rule reform shows cracks
Eight EU countries known as “the alliance of responsibility" who spoke out in favour of an early return to strict debt rules in a position paper in September 2021 are being pushed towards compromise...
View ArticleDutch central bank “deeply regrets” role in slave trade
The Netherlands' central bank (DNB) said on Wednesday (9 February) it deeply regretted the important role many of its early directors played in the 19th-century slave trade, as shown by an independent...
View ArticleNetherlands to ban fossil heating from 2026, make heat pumps mandatory
The Dutch government intends to ban new fossil fuel-centric heating system installations as of 2026, while introducing the mandatory use of heat pumps or connections to heat networks.
View ArticleGermany, Denmark, Netherlands and Belgium sign €135 billion offshore wind pact
Heads of government from the North Sea countries gathered in Esbjerg to sign a cooperation agreement on offshore wind development and “green” hydrogen. They will target at least 65 GW by 2030 and 150...
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View ArticleRussia’s exiled TV Rain licensed in Netherlands after Latvian removal
Independent Russian channel, TV Rain, has been granted a broadcasting license in the Netherlands after the permit it had been given by Latvia was revoked last month.
View ArticleGrowing demand puts EU electricity grid under pressure
Europe's power grid is under pressure, faced with growing demand from electric vehicles and heat pumps as well as lagging investments in new infrastructure. Is a blackout imminent?
View ArticleReport: Renovating EU houses could save 44% of energy for heating
With a tripling of the current renovation rate, almost all residential buildings in the European Union could be renovated by 2050, saving 44% of final energy used in space heating, a new report shows.
View ArticleDutch dilemma: Caught in the middle of the US-China tech Cold War
When President Joseph Biden hosted the Dutch leader at the White House on Tuesday (January 17), the two leaders agreed on boosting support for Ukraine - but they were less effusive on how hard to...
View ArticleTech Brief: OECD definition, Data Act semi-final text
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Tech Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.
View ArticleFarmers’ protest party set to shake up Dutch political landscape
A farmers' protest party looks set to shake up the political landscape in the Netherlands on Wednesday (15 March), with polls indicating it will be the big winner in provincial elections that determine...
View ArticleNATO eyes €1bn defence innovation fund based in the Netherlands
The Netherlands will host NATO's €1 billion-strong innovation fund, the Western military alliance and The Hague announced on Monday (20 March).
View ArticleFrance looking to liberal Netherlands in push for nuclear revival
Paris is looking towards "liberal" allies such as the Netherlands to revive its nuclear industry, French Green MP Julie Laernoes told EURACTIV, after the country's National Assembly approved a bill...
View ArticleCocaine trade expanding rapidly in Europe, especially France
While the cocaine market continues to grow around the world, a new report by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT) found that consumption has been steadily increasing across...
View ArticleMacron visits Netherlands to push for massive EU investment plan
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to travel to the Netherlands on Tuesday to push for a massive EU investment plan in line with the Commission’s Net-Zero Industry Act alongside political and...
View ArticleFrench-led nuclear alliance calls for equal EU treatment with renewables
Brussels must put nuclear and renewable energies on an equal footing when it comes to funding, research, and project development, the 14 members of the "nuclear alliance" who met in Spain said on...
View ArticleDutch government collapses over migration law: What’s next?
In this week’s episode of EURACTIV’s Beyond the Byline podcast, we look at how a contentious migration law collapsed the Dutch government, marking the end of 13 years of leadership for the country’s...
View ArticleDutch elections: Far-right victory and Euroscepticism
In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the results of the Dutch elections, which saw the party of anti-Islam populist, Geert Wilders, lead the polls. The success of Wilders’ Freedom...
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