Politics News in English
Latest politics headlines from Dutch news, translated into English.
Global trade grew surprisingly under Trump's import tariffs
Global trade grew unexpectedly over the past year despite uncertainties surrounding U.S. import tariffs, according to the CPB Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis. While most regions saw an increase, e...
All Velsen households to receive new voucher next week
Starting next week, every household in the municipality of Velsen will receive a five-euro voucher to support local neighborhood initiatives. This program, now in its third year, encourages residents ...
Van Weel aims to bridge trust gap with police officers
Justice Minister David van Weel acknowledged a trust gap between police officers and leadership during a parliamentary debate, pledging to work on bridging the divide. While political parties JA21 and...
More people to the polls in K-buurt Zuidoost, but turnout still 'far too low'
Voter turnout in Amsterdam's K-buurt neighborhood rose to 27.8% during the municipal elections, a significant increase attributed to local community mobilization efforts. Despite this progress, expert...
More people at the polls in K-buurt Zuidoost, but turnout still 'far too low'
Voter turnout in the K-buurt neighborhood of Amsterdam-Zuidoost rose to 27.8% during recent municipal elections, an improvement attributed to local community mobilization efforts. Despite this increas...
Court sentences Hasna A. to 9 years for slavery in Syria
An appeals court has sentenced 34-year-old Hasna A. to nine years in prison for crimes including slavery committed while she was in Syria. The ruling follows an appeal process where the Public Prosecu...
Council of State also rules: asylum waiting period could not be extended
The Dutch Council of State has ruled that the 2022 decision to extend the processing period for asylum applications from six to fifteen months was unlawful. This ruling follows a similar judgment by t...
District wants to make street in front of OLVG car-free
The Amsterdam-Oost district is planning to make Oosterpark street and its intersection with Beukenweg car-free to improve safety and accessibility near the OLVG hospital. Scheduled for 2028, the proje...
Council of State: Education Ministry must still pay personnel costs to 222 school boards
The Dutch Council of State has ruled that State Secretary Judith Tielen must pay 222 primary school boards approximately 250 million euros in overdue personnel costs. This decision confirms a previous...
Calls to curb price hikes grow louder, but cabinet action remains pending
Members of the Dutch House of Representatives are urging the cabinet to take action against rising fuel prices exacerbated by the conflict in the Middle East. Despite growing pressure from political p...
IJmond municipalities join forces: 18 million euros for vulnerable neighborhoods
The municipalities of Beverwijk, Velsen, and Heemskerk are joining forces in a project called "Sterk IJmond" to tackle persistent issues in dozens of vulnerable neighborhoods. Supported by an 18 milli...
Grumbling and taking action: Evert (82) tackles neglect in IJmuiden with a shovel and a mini protest sign
Evert Spaans, an 82-year-old resident of IJmuiden, is personally tackling weed overgrowth in his neighborhood to protest what he calls the area's deterioration. Although he criticizes the municipality...
Hungary denies Kyiv European gas over Druzhba pipeline
Hungary has announced it will gradually suspend gas transport to Ukraine until oil flow resumes through the Druzhba pipeline. The pipeline, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary via Ukraine, was previ...
Iranian ambassador in Pakistan speaks of basis for dialogue
Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam stated that there are currently no direct or indirect contacts between Iran and the United States. He noted that friendly nations are attempting to e...
JA21 and BBB demand minister dismiss police leadership
The Dutch political parties JA21 and BBB have demanded that the Minister dismiss the national police leadership. This call follows controversies regarding the leadership's communication with officers ...
78 municipal notices on demolition and tree felling in Haarlem last week
The municipality of Haarlem processed 78 permit applications last week, with 76 focused on projects within Haarlem and one in Spaarndam. These applications mainly concern demolition and tree felling a...
Municipalities and police inspect 350 garage units in Heemskerk and Beverwijk
Police, local enforcement, and housing associations conducted an integrated inspection of 350 garage storage units across Heemskerk and Beverwijk last week. The large-scale operation was carried out a...
Spanish PM: Iran conflict greater risk than Iraq war
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned his parliament that the current conflict in the Middle East poses a significantly greater global risk than the 2003 Iraq invasion. He characterized the pot...
Public needs more help and clarity on sustainability, says SER
The Social and Economic Council (SER) reports that Dutch households and small businesses face significant obstacles when attempting to make their properties more sustainable. The advisory body is call...
AEX index opens higher on hopes for end to war, oil price falls
The AEX-index in Amsterdam opened with gains on Wednesday, driven by optimism regarding potential peace negotiations between the United States and Iran. While U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that ...
Dutch National Ballet gives the VOC a place in classical ballet: updated version of 'La Bayadère' approaches history from a contemporary perspective
The Dutch National Ballet is introducing a revised production of the classical ballet 'La Bayadère' that incorporates the history of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) from a modern perspective. Chor...
US presented fifteen-point plan to Iran
The United States has reportedly presented a fifteen-point plan to Iran aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East. The proposal was delivered through Pakistan, which has expressed its willingnes...
Majority of Uitgeest councillors prefer another cooperation agreement
A majority of council members in Uitgeest, representing 12 out of 15 seats, have expressed a preference for establishing a cooperation agreement for the upcoming term. This indicates a continued desir...
Haarlem city council back to male majority, sparking GroenLinks anger: 'The patriarchy pressures women'
The Haarlem city council has returned to a male majority after two female candidates stepped down and yielded their seats to male party colleagues. GroenLinks council member Melissa Oosterbroek critic...
Asian markets rise, oil prices fall on hopes for end to war
Asian stock markets rose on Wednesday as investors hoped for a de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. This optimism led to a decrease in oil prices, which had previously spiked due to regio...
Nearly 150,000 Ukrainians without power after Russian attack
Nearly 150,000 people in Ukraine's Chernihiv region are without power following a Russian attack on energy infrastructure. This outage follows previous strikes earlier in the week that targeted the re...
Dutch gas reserves drop to 5.8 percent, lowest level in 10 years
Dutch gas storage levels have dropped to 5.8 percent, marking the lowest level recorded in a decade. This data, reported by Gasunie's National Energy Dashboard, reflects a significant decline in the c...
Mice, Amersfoort ballots and purple pencils. Strange situations at polling stations in the Haarlem region
During the municipal elections on March 18, several unusual incidents occurred at polling stations in the Haarlem region. In Haarlem, voters discovered ballots intended for Amersfoort and a purple pen...
Iran: US negotiating with itself
An Iranian military spokesman mocked United States statements regarding potential negotiations over the conflict in the Middle East, claiming Washington is "negotiating with itself." These remarks, re...
Municipal spending rises by nearly 6 percent
Dutch municipalities expect to increase their collective spending by nearly 6 percent in 2026, reaching a total of 84.6 billion euros. According to data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), this represe...