Economy News in English

ACM fines PostNL nearly 7 million euros for slow mail delivery in 2023

The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has imposed a fine of nearly 6.9 million euros on PostNL for failing to meet mail delivery standards in 2023. The penalty follows the postal service...

End of traditional auction for first herring barrel: Wholesaler finds new way to start season

The traditional auction of the first barrel of herring in Scheveningen is coming to an end after 39 years. Wholesalers are now planning a different approach to mark the start of the new herring season...

Foreign fans flock to Amsterdam for Harry Styles, Booking searches quadruple

British pop star Harry Styles is attracting thousands of international fans to Amsterdam for his ten-concert series at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, which marks his only tour stop on the European mainland....

Fossil fuel phase-out in Port of Rotterdam at center of new climate case

The non-profit organization Advocates for the Future has initiated a climate lawsuit against the Port of Rotterdam, demanding an immediate phase-out of fossil fuel activities. The legal challenge call...

Trump heads to Beijing for megadeals and geopolitical chess: what’s at stake?

US President Donald Trump is visiting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing for high-stakes discussions on megadeals and geopolitics. The meeting takes place amid shifting power dynamics, with observer...

Amsterdam's Couperus neighborhood to be overhauled despite love for the old: "Terrible"

The Louis Couperus neighborhood in Amsterdam Nieuw-West will undergo a major ten-year renovation and demolition project starting in 18 months. Housing association Stadgenoot plans to increase the area...

Company behind Canvas reaches agreement with hackers and apologizes

Instructure, the American company behind the educational platform Canvas, has reached an agreement with hackers following a data breach last week. The hackers have returned the stolen data and reporte...

Dutch want less complaining about housing, but own parking spots remain sacred

A majority of Dutch people support shortening legal objection procedures to accelerate housing construction, according to research by ASN Bank. However, many residents remain concerned about preservin...

Amsterdam ditches expensive offices for mega-office for 20,000 civil servants opposite Amstel Station

Carbon tax to make gas and petrol more expensive from 2028: 'Help needed for the poorest'

Starting in 2028, a new European CO2 levy on natural gas and petrol is expected to increase monthly household expenses by tens of euros. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) warns tha...

Piqué punished again: fine for insider trading after suspension for outburst

Former professional footballer Gerard Piqué was fined 200,000 euros on Monday for insider trading. This penalty represents the second significant disciplinary action against him in a short period.

'Crowd-puller' Decathlon to open in Hoofddorp shopping center

Sports retail chain Decathlon is set to open a new branch in the Vier Meren shopping center in Hoofddorp this summer. The store is expected to be a major attraction for the local shopping area.

Tata fined again for excessive harmful emissions

Tata Steel has been fined 3.25 million euros for exceeding emission limits for carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at its aging coke plant. The penalty was imposed by the North Sea Ca...

123inkt ordered to pay dismissed executive over half a million euros in compensation

A Dutch court has ordered office supplies company 123inkt to pay more than €500,000 in severance to its former executive, Jan Vos. The judge ruled that the company failed to make sufficient efforts ...

Splitting Waternet nearly twice as expensive in latest estimate: from 26.3 million to 49.6 million

Theft of goods by employees remains the biggest form of corporate fraud. ‘Entire pallets disappear’

Internal theft by employees remains the most common form of corporate fraud, involving everything from small office supplies to entire pallets of goods. Although instances of petty theft are reportedl...

British Steel likely back in government hands for the first time since 1988

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer intends to nationalize British Steel following failed negotiations with the company's Chinese owner, Jingye. This move would bring the company, which employs nearly...

Geldezel die hoopte van zijn gokschulden af te komen, werd afgeperst: ’Ik heb heel vies gebruikgemaakt van een kwetsbare jongen’

Two suspects, aged 20 and 22, appeared in a Schiphol court for extorting a vulnerable young man who had agreed to act as a money mule to settle gambling debts. The victim's plan backfired when the sus...

COA has already paid 10 million euros in penalty payments for asylum centers

The Dutch Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) has incurred over 10 million euros in penalty payments to municipalities due to issues at its reception facilities. The majority of t...

Budget giants Temu and SHEIN face off in court

A legal battle between online fast-fashion retailers SHEIN and Temu begins this Monday in London. SHEIN accuses its competitor of copyright infringement on an industrial scale by allegedly stealing pr...

Migrants contributed significantly to Haarlem’s prosperity in the seventeenth century

Refugees and migrants played a crucial role in the history and economic prosperity of Haarlem, particularly during the seventeenth century. The article highlights that migration is a recurring phenome...

Vijlbrief: Cabinet to make proposal after union ultimatum

Dutch Minister of Social Affairs Hans Vijlbrief announced that the cabinet will present a proposal to bring labor unions and employers back to the negotiating table. This statement follows an ultimatu...

DigiD outage: App and website users seeing error messages

A technical malfunction at DigiD on Monday has made it difficult for users to log in via the service's website and mobile application. More than 3,600 reports of the outage have been recorded on the m...

EU member states lift suspension of association agreement with Syria

EU member states have revoked the partial suspension of the association agreement with Syria, lifting trade restrictions on products such as oil, gold, and diamonds. This decision, finalized on Monday...

Trawling on Dogger Bank prohibited without permit

A court in The Hague has ruled that trawling in the protected Doggersbank area of the North Sea requires an environmental permit, overturning a long-standing government exemption. The court found that...

Unions issue ultimatum to cabinet: scrap budget cuts within 14 days or face major strikes

Dutch labor unions FNV, CNV, and VCP have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government demanding the withdrawal of proposed cuts to state pensions and social benefits. Failure to meet these demands wil...

Gas price investigation: who profits from the war with Iran?

The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is investigating why gasoline prices at the pump do not decrease as rapidly as crude oil prices. The inquiry aims to identify which parties are gain...

Expert warns of even higher energy prices: Household bills to rise by another 25 euros per month

Dutch households are currently paying an average of 25 euros more per month for energy following the outbreak of conflict involving Iran. Experts warn that this upward trend in energy costs is likely ...

Mortgage interest deduction not left untouched after all? ‘This will be a serious problem’

The Dutch political parties D66, VVD, and CDA are facing renewed pressure over their agreement to leave the mortgage interest deduction unchanged. A forthcoming report suggests that maintaining the cu...

Dutch cabinet to tackle Russian shadow fleet in North Sea with emergency law: ‘Russians photographed locks’

The Dutch government is preparing emergency legislation to crack down on the Russian shadow fleet in the North Sea. The new laws, expected by summer, will grant authorities the power to seize vessels ...