Economy News in English
Latest economy headlines from Dutch news, translated into English.
High rents drive away candidates: private sector homes stay online longer
Rental interest in the Netherlands has dropped significantly as rising prices and decreasing housing supply make finding a home more difficult. Landlords are increasingly selling their properties due ...
Hatchet buried: polder and cabinet begin talks on social agreement
The Dutch government and social partners have started negotiations to reach a new social agreement after withdrawing plans for 6.8 billion euros in austerity measures. The talks aim to address reforms...
More than 76,000 rental homes have already disappeared from the market – landlords complain about affordable rent legislation
Since the introduction of the Affordable Rent Act in 2024, over 76,000 rental homes have been sold off by landlords across the Netherlands, tightening housing supply. Rental prices are simultaneously ...
One in ten houses sold in Amsterdam is a former rental property, landlords complain: 'The damage is enormous'
Approximately 9.1 percent of homes sold in Amsterdam were formerly rental properties as landlords exit the market following the introduction of new rental legislation and higher taxes. Across the Neth...
Alderman: Amsterdam city center entrepreneurs too dependent on tourism
Amsterdam alderman Melanie van der Horst has stated that businesses in the city center are overly reliant on tourism, making the local economy vulnerable to shifts in visitor spending. To address this...
Scrapping staff perks goes down badly: 'This feels like taking away income'
Employees at major companies like Sligro and Jumbo are strongly protesting plans to eliminate staff discounts. Workers feel that removing this benefit is equivalent to a reduction in their take-home p...
Eight 'sugar-free' Starbucks drinks contain sugar, spark lawsuit
Starbucks is facing a lawsuit alleging that eight drinks labeled as sugar-free actually contain significant amounts of sugar. While the plaintiffs claim the marketing is misleading, Starbucks argues t...
Amsterdam city center relies more heavily on tourists than other cities, Van der Horst warns of economic risk
Amsterdam's retail and hospitality sectors rely heavily on tourism, leading to concerns from Deputy Mayor Van der Horst about economic vulnerability. The official warns that this focus on visitors ris...
IMF warns of increasingly powerful hedge funds
The IMF has raised concerns about the significant growth of hedge funds, which now manage 13 trillion dollars and utilize risky leverage strategies. The organization warns that these funds could pose ...
Cabinet's financial plans may fail if nothing changes in the Senate
The Dutch cabinet is struggling to pass its crucial tax plan in the Senate due to lack of support from key political parties. Both right-wing and left-wing factions are demanding policy concessions, i...
Mega-merger in streaming world is a fact: Skydance acquires Warner Bros. Discovery
Paramount Skydance has completed a 110 billion dollar acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, merging two major Hollywood studios and their streaming services into a single entity named Skydance. The m...
Peter Gillis' holiday parks sold permanently for over 27 million euros
Three holiday parks belonging to Peter Gillis have been sold at auction for 27.3 million euros to cover a substantial debt owed to creditor Marc van Rooi. Despite this sale, Gillis still faces signifi...
Parliament votes for more green gas despite concerns over manure and energy bills
The Dutch House of Representatives has approved a new law mandating the use of green gas to lower CO2 emissions. The legislation faces criticism over potential increases in household energy costs and ...
New box 3 system sparks a barrage of reader questions: read all the answers here
The Dutch government is revising its proposed box 3 tax system following parliamentary pushback regarding the impact on small savers and investors. With no final regulations in place, ongoing debates ...
Aldi in Buitenveldert allowed to expand after all: ‘Sometimes you just have to make an exception’
The Aldi store in Bolestein has been granted permission to expand into a neighboring vacant building after the municipality reversed its previous refusal. This decision prevents the potential closure ...
Significant victory for FrieslandCampina: Chocomel yellow trademarked
FrieslandCampina has successfully obtained an exclusive trademark for the signature yellow color of its Chocomel packaging after a dispute with Spanish competitor Grupo Cacaolat. The Benelux Office fo...
ChatGPT to invisibly watermark texts to identify them as AI-generated
OpenAI is introducing an invisible AI watermark called textGrain to comply with European regulations requiring AI-generated text to be identifiable. The watermark embeds a specific word-choice pattern...
Diemen refuses ATM due to fear of explosive attacks
The municipality of Diemen has cancelled plans for a new ATM at the Van Markenplantsoen due to security concerns regarding potential explosions. Despite an initial permit being granted, officials dete...
Jochem (46) doesn't know how much money he needs monthly: 'My accountant handles that'
Entrepreneur Jochem, 46, experiences persistent financial pressure despite having a steady flow of work. He believes that increasing his revenue is the primary solution to alleviating his ongoing mone...
Cleaners to strike again at stations, Schiphol and universities
Cleaners at train stations, Schiphol, and universities in the Netherlands are staging a new round of strikes to protest a collective labor agreement they feel is inadequate. The FNV union is coordinat...
Strange notification in ASOS clothing app, company appears to have been hacked
ASOS app users received unauthorized push notifications on Tuesday claiming that the company had been hacked. While the retail giant has yet to comment on the breach of its cloud environment, the repo...
Booking.com faces lawsuit over mandatory office days for staff
Booking.com has initiated legal action against its own works council after the body refused to approve a new policy requiring staff at its Amsterdam headquarters to work from the office three days a w...
Hollywood unions see more and more film and TV productions leaving the US
American film and television productions are increasingly shifting abroad, with domestic spending by major studios dropping significantly since 1999. Hollywood unions warn that this trend threatens do...
One week of emergency gas reserves, lower storage levels: how do we stay warm this winter?
As winter approaches, concerns are rising in the Netherlands due to lower than normal gas storage levels and increasing energy costs. Climate Minister Stientje van Veldhoven is currently developing a ...
UK regulator investigates Meta over new Instagram feature
The British regulator Ofcom is investigating Meta over its new Instagram Instants feature, citing concerns that the company failed to conduct adequate safety risk assessments. Regulators argue that Me...
Live Q&A: ask all your questions about box 3 today
Financial experts and political reporters are hosting a live Q&A on Tuesday, October 6, to clarify changes to the Dutch box 3 wealth tax. The discussion focuses on the cabinet's transition toward taxi...
ANWB and Consumers' Association: serious defects in two car seats, models immediately withdrawn from sale
The ANWB and Consumentenbond have issued safety warnings for Britax Römer and Axkid car seats after discovering serious defects during crash tests. Sales for the affected Axkid model have been st...
Elon Musk becomes a trillionaire again thanks to SpaceX and Tesla stock gains
Elon Musk has regained his trillionaire status with a net worth of 1.04 trillion dollars following stock gains in SpaceX and Tesla. The increase was fueled by positive company performance, including a...
Trump allows tax-free red diesel to counter rising fuel prices
Former President Trump has authorized the use of tax-free red diesel for road vehicles to help Americans cope with record-high fuel prices. Previously illegal to use on public roads, the cheaper fuel ...
Net contributors and net recipients completely at odds over EU budget: ‘Out of touch and appalling’
European Union member states are divided over the next long-term budget, with net-recipients demanding increased spending and the removal of contribution rebates for wealthier nations. Conversely, net...