About: Mark Rutte
Dutch caught off guard by Pfizer approval, PM explains delay in vaccination
The Dutch government was caught off guard by the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by EU regulators in December and has been unable to start vaccinating due to logistical problems, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told parliament on Tuesday (5 January).
Budget Summit: How it happened
EU leaders are under pressure to reach a deal on the next Multiannual Financial Framework and the Recovery Fund as they are heading into their fourth day of negotiations.
Dutch ‘preachers and salesmen’ lead EU frugality drive
The Netherlands will be at the centre of upcoming talks over European spending on the coronavirus crisis, driven by a mix of traditional Calvinist frugality and political reality, experts say.
Macron says EU virus package ‘advancing’, in talks with Dutch PM
French President Emmanuel Macron said talks on a EU coronavirus recovery fund were "advancing" Tuesday (23 June) as he met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a key holdout against the plan.
Macron to discuss EU rescue plan with ‘frugal’ Dutch
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the Netherlands Tuesday (23 June) for talks with Prime Minister Mark Rutte on a massive EU coronavirus recovery fund that has met with Dutch resistance.
Taming the ‘Frugal Four’: the challenge facing the German Presidency
The European Commission has presented its proposal for a recovery fund as part of the draft EU budget. Now the member states must be convinced, a task that will fall on Berlin when Germany takes over the EU Council Presidency in July, EURACTIV Germany reports.
COVID-19 lockdown: The EU leaders who didn’t lead by example
In the UK and in many countries in Central and Eastern Europe leaders have shown lack of respect for the lockdown measures – the EURACTIV network looked into how some prime ministers and presidents have conducted themselves through the pandemic so far.
Portugal’s Costa criticises Netherlands over commitment to EU
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Friday (10 April) that the Netherlands' attempt to block economic support to fight the coronavirus raised questions about the future of the European Union.
Leaders clash over stimulus against pandemic, pass hot potato to Eurogroup
EU leaders on Thursday (26 March) continued to disagree over the economic response to the coronavirus as Northern countries rejected the idea of issuing joint debt, known as "corona bonds", proposed by nine member states to finance the recovery.
Dutch PM Rutte: Europe needs to increase military spending
Europe needs to increase military spending to keep the transatlantic NATO alliance alive in the face of rising threats from Russia, China and elsewhere, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Thursday (3 October).
Germany 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 cooperation in the areas of defence and asylum policy. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Stabilisation mechanism in induced coma after EU leaders’ meeting
EU leaders failed to inject further ambition to a Eurogroup deal on watered-down reforms of the Economic and Monetary Union, including a budgetary instrument for the eurozone, at the Euro summit on Friday (21 June).
Rutte: ‘I will never support stabilisation mechanisms at euro level’
In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV.com after the European Council, Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, said on Friday (21 June) that he "will never support" new budgetary instruments to stabilise the euro area if an economic shock hits the region.
#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 far-right FvD, led by the controversial, ideologically extreme Thierry Baudet.
Dutch minister resigns over manipulated report of crimes committed by asylum-seekers
The Netherlands' minister for migration, Mark Harbers, resigned Tuesday (21 May) after a parliamentary outcry over elided data on crimes committed by asylum-seekers, in a bad blow to the government just ahead of European elections.
May visits Paris, Berlin ahead of crucial Brexit summit
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday (8 April) started a last-minute flurry of European diplomacy that includes visits to Paris and Berlin as she prepares for a make-or-break Brexit summit.
‘Don’t be naive with China’, EU leaders tell Italy
EU leaders displayed a united front toward China on Friday (22 March) and warned the Italian government of the consequences of signing a bilateral deal with Beijing to become part of the new ‘Silk Road’.
New Dutch populists surge in ‘Rutte referendum’
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will lose his senate majority after upstart anti-EU populists surged in provincial elections just two days after a suspected terror attack in Utrecht.
Dutch go to provincial polls after Utrecht shooting horror
Dutch voters on Wednesday (20 March) head to provincial polls billed as a referendum on Prime Minister Mark Rutte's policies, after a campaign overshadowed by a possible terror attack on a tram.
Tweets of the Week: Brexit, copyright, and valentines
Roses are red, violets are blue, This week it’s Brexit, copyright and lazy rhymes too.
Dutch government seeks emergency Brexit powers, MPs resist
Dutch lawmakers on Thursday (24 January) grilled a top minister on a controversial bill granting Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government emergency powers to counteract any unforseen post-Brexit effects.
Clogs gift for EU medicines agency’s Brexit move
Dutch officials handed over a pair of clogs and the keys to the European Medicines Agency's temporary base in Amsterdam on Wednesday (9 January) as the watchdog prepares to leave London after Brexit.
Avoid Brexit-style ‘chaos’ Dutch PM tells his people
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, has issued a stark warning to the Dutch public, telling them to learn from the mistakes of the British government while the Brexit negotiations continue to be dogged by setbacks in the UK for Prime Minister Theresa May.