Economy News in English

Household disposable income rises due to higher wages

In 2025, Dutch households saw an increase in disposable income primarily driven by higher collective labor agreement wages. While employee compensation rose, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) also reported...

Patients Federation: more digital consultations due to fuel costs

The Patients Federation Netherlands is calling on healthcare providers to offer more digital consultations to help patients manage rising travel costs caused by high fuel prices and parking fees. The ...

Renovating neglected Haarlem playgrounds will cost between 3 and 7 million euros

Renovating Haarlem's 16 dilapidated playgrounds is estimated to cost between three and seven million euros. The Haarlem City Council aims to take over maintenance responsibilities to improve the facil...

Scammers active again with fake porn site fines and extortion; 5,000 paid annually

Fraudsters are increasingly sending fake fines and extortion notices claiming to be from the Dutch Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB). The Fraud Help Desk reports that approximately 5,000 peopl...

Housing project De Heerlijkheid Curtis in Heemskerk delayed by up to 1.5 years due to nitrogen regulations

The De Heerlijkheid Curtis housing project in Heemskerk has been delayed by up to 1.5 years due to nitrogen regulations. Local officials are currently awaiting a national breakthrough regarding nitrog...

Women off sick due to stress twice as often as men

Women are twice as likely as men to take sick leave due to stress, especially those between the ages of 25 and 45. On average, employees who stop working due to stress-related issues remain absent for...

CEO of largest asset manager warns of dire consequences if oil hits $150

Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, has warned of severe global economic consequences if oil prices reach $150 per barrel. He described a potential doom scenario that would be felt worldwide should such...

Crisis? What crisis? Dutch Parliament bickers over how bad energy prices already are

The Dutch House of Representatives is debating how to respond to rising energy prices, with the cabinet being urged to prepare contingency measures. However, political parties remain divided on the se...

Expert: 'Trump is unpredictable, so investors don't know which way it's going and are doing nothing'

Investors are currently navigating volatile financial markets driven by ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the unpredictability of Donald Trump. This atmosphere of uncertainty has led many small ...

Times of Israel: Iran's gift to US was passage for tankers

President Donald Trump's claimed 'gift' from Iran was the guaranteed safe passage of several tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Arab and American officials speaking to The Times of Isr...

Cabinet cannot yet say when it will take energy measures

Minister Heleen Herbert stated that the Dutch cabinet cannot yet determine when it will implement measures to address the economic and energy impacts caused by the war in Iran. The announcement was ma...

Many ideas to curb price increases, but Parliament not aligned

The Dutch House of Representatives is debating various measures to help households and businesses cope with rising prices, including fuel price caps and tax cuts. However, political parties remain div...

Wealthy tourists spend $110,000 for a week in Antarctica, and even their poop comes back with them

Parties attack FVD over friendly stance toward Iran and Russia

Dutch coalition and opposition parties criticized Forum for Democracy (FVD) MP Ralf Dekker for his supportive stance toward Russia and Iran. During a debate on energy prices, Dekker proposed that the ...

Minister Sjoerdsma welcome in China for trade mission despite sanctions list

Dutch Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma will lead a trade mission to China after receiving confirmation that he is welcome despite being on a Chinese sanctions list. The visit was confirmed following a discus...

Young person wins landmark case against Meta and Google: social media are too addictive

Meta and Google have been ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages following a groundbreaking lawsuit in the United States. The court ruled that the companies failed to adequately warn users abou...

Rijkswaterstaat faces €20.5 billion shortfall, highway ramps to close: ‘Must make choices’

Rijkswaterstaat is facing a 20.5 billion euro budget deficit, leading to the indefinite closure of highway ramps across the Netherlands, such as the A2 ramp near Abcoude towards Amsterdam. The agency ...

Germany invests billions more to reduce emissions

Germany has announced plans to invest an additional 8 billion euros to reduce CO2 emissions, with funds directed toward projects like building more wind turbines. Despite the investment, experts remai...

Lawsuit over Noorder IJ-plas wind turbines: what’s at stake

The City of Amsterdam is challenging the province of North Holland in court over the rejected permits for three wind turbines at the Noorder IJ-plas. While the province cites concerns regarding traffi...

Left-wing parties want oil companies to pay for energy support

Dutch left-wing opposition parties SP, Partij voor de Dieren, and GroenLinks-PvdA are calling for oil companies to contribute part of their excess profits to a compensation fund. The proposed funds wo...

New housing plan along the railway in Santpoort-Zuid: Garages and gas station to make way

A proposal has been introduced to construct 80 to 100 homes near the Santpoort-Zuid railway station, replacing an existing gas station and garage boxes. Although the landowner has initiated the plan, ...

Ajax hack enables season ticket theft and exposes stadium bans

Dutch football club Ajax has confirmed a data leak after IT system vulnerabilities were identified by journalist Daniël Verlaan. The security flaw potentially allowed for the theft of digital season ...

D66 and CDA show interest in price cap, VVD wants lower excise duties

Dutch political parties D66 and CDA have expressed interest in a proposal to cap fuel prices at the pump, with the costs funded by major oil and gas companies. The VVD instead advocates for lowering e...

Spike in oil trading before Trump's Iran message suggests insider trading

A suspicious surge in oil contract sales occurred shortly before US President Donald Trump issued a reassuring message regarding tensions with Iran. The unusual volume of trading activity just prior t...

Haarlem bars to stay open longer during World Cup?

The VVD party in Haarlem has proposed extending pub opening hours during the upcoming FIFA World Cup to accommodate late-night match broadcasts. Councillor Alexander Bruch argues that the move would s...

BBC appoints former Google executive as chief after Trump row

The BBC has appointed former Google executive Matt Brittin as its new director-general. Brittin succeeds Tim Davie, who resigned following a controversy regarding the television editing of a speech by...

Two suspects arrested for large-scale bank help desk fraud

Two men were arrested in The Hague on Monday for their suspected involvement in a large-scale bank helpdesk fraud operation across the Netherlands. The suspects allegedly impersonated bank employees t...

Member since 1996, but FNV won't let Monique go just like that

Monique, a member of the Dutch trade union FNV since 1996, is facing difficulties while trying to cancel her long-term membership. The article highlights that legal rules for leaving associations and ...

Court of Audit makes government goals transparent with website

The Netherlands Court of Audit has launched a new dashboard to track the progress of government objectives. This tool aims to provide transparency regarding public spending and the achievement of stat...

Every employee is the boss at the Netherlands' largest camping store: ‘Everyone does what they want’

Obelink, the largest camping store in the Netherlands, operates using a unique management model that eliminates traditional managers and gives employees full responsibility for their own tasks. Direct...