About: Netherlands
Germans and Dutch set to block EU ‘corona bonds’ at video summit
Germany and the Netherlands will lead opposition to issuing joint bonds to help revive the European Union economy from a deep slump caused by the coronavirus when the bloc's national leaders discuss emergency assistance on Thursday (26 March).
Balkan hopefuls get green light to start EU talks, conditions still weigh on Tirana
EU ministers on Tuesday (24 March) approved starting membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania, a move hailed as restoring "credibility" after months of damaging delays and bickering.
Trial of men accused in downing of MH17 to begin in Amsterdam
The first hearing in the trial of four fugitive suspects in the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was set to start in Amsterdam on Monday (9 March), more than five years after the plane was downed in Ukraine.
French, Dutch smash huge migrant smuggling ring to UK
French and Dutch police arrested 23 people on suspicion of smuggling 10,000 Kurdish migrants to Britain in refrigerated lorries and rubber boats, Europe's judicial agency said Wednesday (22 January).
Dutch farmers block highways with tractors, angry at EU rules on pollution
Dutch farmers and construction workers blocked roads with tractors on Wednesday (18 December) and gathered outside the offices of national broadcaster NOS in the latest of a series of protests over environmental pollution rules.
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).