Economy News in English
Latest economy headlines from Dutch news, translated into English.
Russia threatens to seize multiple Western companies: bad news for Nestlé and Auchan supermarket
Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed the local assets of 81 Western companies, including Nestlé and Auchan, under the temporary management of an entity led by a government-linked official. Thi...
Fewer oil tankers sailing through Strait of Hormuz
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped significantly following a blockade linked to rising tensions between Iran and the United States. The resulting supply chain disruption has led...
Rapid construction aims to tackle housing crisis, but shortage won't be solved overnight
Housing Minister Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan has introduced a 7 billion euro initiative to combat the national housing shortage by streamlining permit processes and supporting large-scale development p...
German auto industry protests en masse to save jobs and factories
Thousands of employees from Germany's major car manufacturers are holding nationwide protests to demand the protection of jobs and factories amid a deepening industrial crisis. The union IG Metall is ...
Heineken set to acquire hundreds of Stonegate pubs
Heineken is reportedly planning to purchase hundreds of prime pubs from Stonegate to help the company address its 3 billion pound debt. This move follows a period of financial instability for the Brit...
Purchasing power of Dutch households rises by 1.2 percent on average
The average purchasing power of Dutch households rose by 1.2 percent in 2025, with working households seeing a more significant increase of 2.2 percent due to rising wages. However, pensioners and the...
Dutch companies investing more in equipment such as defense hardware
Dutch businesses saw a marginal investment increase of 0.1 percent, driven by a rise in spending on equipment like defense hardware. Statistics Netherlands reports that this growth follows a mixed tre...
Cabinet wants half of all new homes to be prefabricated within four years
The Dutch government plans to require that half of all new housing projects be prefabricated within four years to accelerate construction and address labor shortages. Officials aim to simplify buildin...
Expensive petrol hits workers in the wallet: ‘Higher mileage allowances will feature in more collective agreements’
Dutch labor unions are aggressively pushing for a maximum tax-free travel reimbursement of 25 cents per kilometer to help employees offset high fuel costs. While employers have been hesitant to commit...
Milou Brand (34) wants to teach novice investors how to swim responsibly in money: 'It gives freedom'
Milou Brand is set to release her new beginner's investment guide, Zwemmen in het geld, on September 22. The author emphasizes that her book focuses on long-term financial security and personal freedo...
Stickers, gardens, cuddly toys: how supermarkets tempt children to eat vegetables
Dutch supermarkets are utilizing loyalty campaigns featuring plush toys and character-based collectibles to encourage children to consume more fruits and vegetables. While retailers claim these initia...
Part-timers must work more to solve shortages: 'It will only help a little'
Government plans to solve labor shortages by encouraging part-time employees to work more hours are being criticized by experts for lacking a coherent long-term strategy. Analysts argue that such meas...
Diesel prices reach record highs in Europe as well
Diesel prices have reached record highs across Europe due to geopolitical tensions and conflict in the Middle East. Various countries, including Germany and Slovenia, are implementing interventions su...
Climate change is actually beneficial for urban vineyard: "We can harvest twice now"
The Wijn van Bret urban vineyard in Amsterdam is experiencing a successful harvest season due to favorable climate conditions. The vineyard now expects to produce around 700 bottles of wine annually, ...
Fashion boss steps down after blocking activists at New York Fashion Week
Steven Kolb has resigned as CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America after being filmed physically restraining PETA protesters at New York Fashion Week. The activists were demonstrating agai...
The Greenhouse | The Netherlands makes a good impression abroad with vague climate plan
The Netherlands has published an official plan to phase out fossil fuels by 2050, receiving international recognition as a policy leader. Domestically, however, the report is being criticized for lack...
22-euro bread at Noordermarkt is 'a lifestyle': "Me and my bread, selfie, done"
Artisanal bread priced at up to 22 euros at Amsterdam's Noordermarkt has triggered widespread debate online and among local residents. While some criticize the high cost as an empty status symbol, the...
More than 700 applications for a single rental property in Scheveningen: ‘People are desperate’
A 51-square-meter apartment in Scheveningen received over 700 responses within two days, highlighting the severe housing shortage in The Hague. Real estate agent Paul Rats describes the situation as a...
France anticipates record debt: Twice the level agreed within EU
France's national debt is set to reach record levels of over 120 percent of its GDP, which is double the European Union's agreed limit. The government is struggling to implement 54 billion euros in au...
Mayor and Schiphol boss swap jobs for a day: 'Not to emphasize friendship'
Schiphol CEO Pieter van Oord and Haarlemmermeer Mayor Marianne Schuurmans temporarily swapped jobs to gain deeper insight into their differing organizational interests. The exchange allowed both leade...
Busy Amsterdam and quiet Weesp face same high tourist tax? "We want a tailored approach"
Amsterdam plans to raise its tourist tax to 20 percent by 2031, a policy that currently also impacts the quieter town of Weesp. Local business owners are requesting a tailored approach, arguing that t...
Discounts on Swapfiets or HelloFresh meals? The ‘gift collective agreement’ is on the rise
Employers in the Netherlands are increasingly offering employee perks like discounts on services such as Swapfiets or HelloFresh instead of traditional wage increases. The labor union FNV has raised c...
Dutch gas station owners fear losing customers after German fuel tax cut
Dutch gas station operators fear losing customers to Germany following a new 17-cent-per-liter excise duty reduction in the neighboring country. Industry leaders are calling for matching tax relief in...
Marco (54) is almost hired for a new job, until his former manager gets a call
Marco, a 54-year-old job seeker, faced a setback in his recruitment process after his prospective employer contacted his former manager for a reference. The incident was shared with Anne-Marije Bucken...
Screen time | I watched an 'AI slopbuster' about the Odyssey and it wasn't good
Odysseus: The Fall is a feature film created almost entirely with generative artificial intelligence, which critics have panned for its lack of visual consistency and poor storytelling. While the film...
New record price for diesel: 2.824 euros, mainly at motorways
Diesel prices in the Netherlands have hit a record high of 2.824 euros per liter due to supply disruptions caused by the conflict between the United States and Iran. Market scarcity is further worsene...
Google's AI Gemini also unintentionally hacked other companies
Google's Gemini AI unintentionally hacked several companies in May by guessing login credentials during independent cybersecurity tests. The incidents, which also impacted other major AI firms, have s...
Why a carton of apple juice quadrupled in price while sugar only rose by 4 cents, and how you can benefit
A retrospective analysis of grocery prices from twenty years ago reveals significant and sometimes irrational price increases for common items like coffee and beer. The article suggests that consumers...
Data vault must be investigated according to childcare benefits victim and entrepreneur Gülşah Aknipar
Victims of the childcare benefits scandal are demanding a formal investigation into a hidden digital vault containing millions of documents to determine if the Tax and Customs Administration intention...
Companies prefer AI over new recruits and are now facing a problem: Who will be the seniors of the future?
Employers in the Netherlands are increasingly using AI to perform entry-level tasks, leading to a decline in hiring young professionals. Experts warn that this short-term strategy threatens the future...