Economy News in English

Five arrested for siphoning off millions intended for healthcare

The Dutch Labour Inspectorate has arrested five individuals for laundering more than 2 million euros that were originally intended for healthcare services. The alleged fraud has been taking place sinc...

Bijenkorf garage owner 'open to dialogue' on closure and housing plans

Q-Park, the owner of the Bijenkorf garage in Amsterdam, has expressed openness to discussing a proposal in the new local coalition agreement to replace the parking facility with housing. Although the ...

Bijenkorf garage owner 'open to dialogue' on closure and housing development

The new coalition agreement in Amsterdam includes a proposal to close the Bijenkorf parking garage in the city center and replace it with residential housing. Q-Park, the owner of the facility, stated...

Fraud at taxi company recalls Amsterdam ‘taxi war’: ‘It was intense, but professionally also thrilling’

Bitcoin plunges further as largest holder sells

Bitcoin's price has dropped towards $60,000, reaching its lowest level in months. The decline follows reports that American billionaire Michael Saylor sold a portion of his bitcoin holdings to pay his...

VVD receives concession for supporting development aid: terrorism bill submitted after all

The VVD political party has reached an agreement with the Dutch cabinet to support the development aid budget in exchange for the submission of a law against the glorification of terrorism. This polit...

Cabinet not considering alternative to state pension plan, says Vijlbrief

Minister of Social Affairs Hans Vijlbrief announced that the Dutch cabinet will not seek an alternative to the scrapped plan for a faster increase in the state pension age (AOW). The decision follows ...

Protesters storm Brussels parliament

Protesters against budget cuts in French-speaking education entered the Parliament of the French Community in Brussels on Thursday afternoon. The demonstrators set off smoke bombs, triggering fire ala...

Parties want clarification on Sjoerdsma's 'shadow deal'

Opposition parties are seeking clarification on an alleged "shadow deal" involving a 380 million euro increase in the development cooperation budget for Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma. In exchange for the ...

Do I have to pay VAT on shipping costs from a webshop?

A consumer from Den Helder is questioning whether it is correct for webshops to charge VAT on shipping costs for online orders. Under Dutch tax regulations, shipping fees are generally subject to the ...

Only a miracle can save Haarlem's combined rail maintenance. 'Destruction of capital'

The Dutch House of Representatives has accepted a 50 million euro loss and extended passenger disruptions due to stalled rail maintenance in Haarlem. Despite criticism regarding the waste of public fu...

Jetten: first social security deal, then talk about money

Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced that the Dutch cabinet will only consider adjusting financial coalition agreements after reaching a substantive deal on social security with labor unions and the op...

Even without Hungarian blockade, Ukrainian EU membership is still far off

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced a deal on Wednesday to end his country's blockade of Ukraine's EU accession process. Despite this breakthrough, the article notes that Ukraine's actual...

Disneyland Paris still hasn't recouped billion-euro investment after 34 years

Disney has not yet recouped its multi-billion euro investment in Disneyland Paris after 34 years of operation. An analysis by theme park journalists indicates that the resort still faces a deficit of ...

Amazon creates 25,000 new jobs in Europe through additional investment

Amazon plans to increase its investments in Europe, which is expected to create 25,000 new jobs across the continent in the coming years. This expansion will add to the company's current European work...

Water pipe tobacco production site discovered in Amsterdam

Police discovered an illegal hookah tobacco production site in an Amsterdam warehouse on Tuesday, seizing over 3,100 kilograms of tobacco. The FIOD and Customs destroyed the production equipment, and ...

VVD clashes with Parliament over social security cuts

The Dutch VVD party faced opposition from both left and right-wing parties in the House of Representatives regarding proposed cuts to social security, specifically disability benefits. VVD MP Ingrid M...

ASN customer savings appear missing, glitch to be resolved tonight

A technical glitch following a failed update caused account balances to appear empty for customers of ASN Bank and SNS on Thursday morning. The banks announced that the issue will be resolved overnigh...

Space on the power grid after all: 173 Zeeland companies off the waiting list

In the Dutch province of Zeeland, 173 companies have been cleared from a waiting list to be connected to the power grid. This capacity was made available after two large companies agreed to use the el...

Zara pulls Curaçao World Cup shirts after major blunder

Fashion retailer Zara has withdrawn its new World Cup-themed T-shirts from stores following a significant spelling error. The shirts incorrectly printed the name of the island as "Curaçau" instead of...

D66: alternatives to budget cuts may come from outside social security

D66 MP Stephan Neijenhuis stated during a parliamentary debate that the party is open to exploring budget cuts outside of social security. This proposal serves as an alternative to measures previously...

EU announces €50 million support package for Armenia

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a 50 million euro support package for Armenia following a call with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The funding is intended to help Armenia...

Number of Dutch millionaires grows and they are becoming even wealthier

The number of millionaires in the Netherlands is increasing, and their total collective wealth is also growing. This information comes from a study conducted by consultancy firm Capgemini, which analy...

Klaver slams VVD: holding country hostage with breaking points

During a parliamentary debate on social security, Progressief Nederland leader Jesse Klaver criticized the VVD for prioritizing party interests over the country's needs. Klaver accused the liberal par...

Loss-making Wehkamp acquired by Zeeland fashion chain Omoda

Zeeland-based fashion chain Omoda is acquiring the larger online department store Wehkamp, which has recently been operating at a loss. This transaction significantly expands the family-owned business...

Cabinet ready to spend more on purchasing power support next year amid high price concerns

The Dutch cabinet expects to provide extra purchasing power support next year to address concerns over rising inflation and potential instability in the Middle East. This financial package is also int...

Largest chip manufacturer cannot keep up with AI chip demand for now

TSMC, the world's largest chip manufacturer, is currently unable to meet the global demand for chips required for AI applications despite scaling up production. Experts anticipate it could take severa...

Paying off mortgage with savings can save thousands of euros: 'A matter of finding the right balance'

High mortgage interest rates make it financially beneficial for homeowners to use their savings to pay off parts of their mortgages. This strategy can result in savings of thousands of euros, provided...

Replenishing gas storage is slow: ‘Not attractive to buy now’

Gas storage replenishment in the Netherlands is progressing significantly slower than last year, with reserves at 16% on June 1st compared to 38% at the same time a year ago. High summer prices, which...

More sick leave compared to last year: 'Workload most cited reason'

Sickness absence in the Netherlands rose to 5.8% in the first quarter of this year, compared to the 5% average seen in previous years. Increased work pressure was cited as the most common reason for e...