About: Netherlands
Top Putin aide named by MH17 airliner investigators
An international investigation into the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on Thursday (14 November) released a series of phone intercepts, including one between a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and pro-Russian rebels accused in the crash.
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).
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy blamed for the release of key MH17 suspect
A Ukrainian court on Thursday (5 September) released on bail a man suspected of involvement in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 that killed 298 people.
North Macedonia nears accession talks, Albania falling behind
Member states will on Tuesday (18 June) postpone a decision on opening accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, most likely until September, as almost all capitals are prepared to green light Skopje while Tirana still remains a ‘no-go’ for a few, EU officials and diplomats told EURACTIV.
Commission: Suspending visa-free travel for Albanians should not be decided lightly
The European Commission said on Monday (3 June) it would assess a request by the Netherlands to suspend visa-free travel for Albanians, adding that such a decision should not be taken lightly.
Flamboyant populist leads the charge as Dutch go to vote
A flamboyant Dutch populist will lead the charge on Thursday (23 May) for eurosceptic and anti-immigration parties across the continent in European Parliament elections.
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.
EU backs cyber sanctions regime, following Dutch and UK pressure
Under new EU rules, individuals and groups conducting cyber-attacks from outside the bloc may be hit with potential sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes. But the measures announced on Friday will be applied only to "persons and entities" and not to national governments.
EU leaders sideline eurozone divisions at summit on future
EU leaders meeting in a mountainous city in Romania on Thursday (9 May) will discuss the future of Europe, but the fate of the euro will be mostly ignored.
Germany, Poland snub EU appeal for greater climate ambition
The governments of France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg have launched an appeal to boost EU climate action ahead of a major summit on the future of Europe taking place in Romania next Thursday (9 May).
Juncker points the finger at Germany, Austria, Netherlands for impeding eurozone reform
The Netherlands, Austria "and all too often Germany" are preventing deeper euro zone integration, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told German newspaper Handelsblatt.
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.
France ‘steps on the gas’ in eurobudget talks
France made surprising back-and-forth moves on Nord Stream 2, which could be explained by the country's effort to secure German and Dutch support in a completely different dossier.
Dutch electric fishing in Brussels’ sights
Following a complaint by the NGO BLOOM in October 2017, the European Commission is expected to initiate an infringement procedure against the Netherlands for illegally issuing licenses to trawlers engaging in electric fishing. EURACTIV France’s partner Journal de l’environnement reports.
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.
BBC eyeing post-Brexit base in Brussels or Amsterdam
British public broadcaster the BBC could open a major new European office after Brexit, perhaps in Brussels or Amsterdam, a Belgian official told AFP on Thursday (24 January).
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.
Dutch may take Russia to court over MH17
The Netherlands is considering dragging Russia to an international court over the downing of flight MH17 after talks over responsibility ground to an impasse, the Dutch foreign minister said Thursday (20 December).
Dozens of mafia suspects held in international sting
Police arrested dozens of suspected mobsters in Europe and South America on Wednesday (5 December) in a huge international swoop targeting Italy's notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia clan, officials said.
Géraldine Schwarz: ‘My grandmother was fascinated by Hitler’
Understanding the history of average people during the Second World War fills in the gaps in collective memory, which are often exploited by the far right in Europe. This is the argument made by Les Amnésiques (“The Amnesiacs”), which was awarded the 2018 European Book Prize and reads like a novel. EURACTIV France reports.
Russia claims fresh ‘proof’ Ukraine downed flight MH17
Russia on Monday (17 September) released fresh information to back its claim the missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines flight over war-torn Ukraine in 2014 was fired by Kiev's forces.
EU puts ‘North Macedonia’ and Albania on hold until the European elections
The European Union agreed a compromise on Tuesday (26 June) whereby it would open negotiations to join the bloc with Albania and Macedonia in June next year, provided a string of conditions on rule of law, crime and corruption are met.
‘Differences’ persist on eurozone budget ahead of key EU summit
Eurogroup head Mário Centeno warned Monday (25 June) of differing opinions towards a plan by France and Germany to establish a eurozone budget, ahead of a key EU summit to discuss the matter.