Economy News in English

Commercial waste in East ends up in household bins far too often

Authorities in the Amsterdam-Oost district are implementing stricter enforcement against business owners who dispose of commercial waste in household containers, leading to littered shopping streets. ...

Fewer permits for temporary housing despite housing shortage

In 2025, Dutch municipalities issued approximately 3,000 permits for temporary housing, which is a 50% decrease compared to the previous year. According to statistics bureau CBS, this decline comes de...

Number of homes worth at least a million increases significantly

The number of homes in the Netherlands valued at one million euros or more reached 273,000 in 2025. This marks a significant increase of nearly 50,000 homes compared to the previous year.

A €150,000 prefab home for first-time buyers? ‘At Landal you see the most beautiful cottages’

Knowledge organization Platform31 is advocating for factory-built homes as an affordable and rapid solution for starters in the housing market. The group suggests that allowing individuals to purchase...

Hundreds of residents desperate as heating systems fail for years in Haarlem and Amstelveen

Hundreds of residents in Haarlem and Amstelveen have faced persistent failures with their gas-free heat and cold storage (WKO) systems for years, leaving many without heating or cooling. The issues hi...

One in nine homes in Haarlem worth more than a million: more than in comparable areas

One in nine owner-occupied homes in Haarlem is now valued at over one million euros, according to data from valuation agency Calcasa. Out of the city's 43,000 houses, 4,800 have reached this price thr...

Majority of Amsterdammers interested in neighborhood library of things

Support for climate policy erodes, one-third of population feels they are ‘no longer allowed to enjoy anything’

Support for climate change policies in the Netherlands is declining as a growing portion of the population prioritizes other issues. While a majority still favors reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ma...

Amsterdam returns to court over Noorder IJplas wind turbines – but will give up if it fails this time

Vijlbrief's gamble: unions will eventually compromise

Minister Vijlbrief is postponing significant cuts to state pensions and unemployment benefits while maintaining that budget reductions remain inevitable. He is gambling on future compromises from labo...

Zeeman closes dozens of stores and exits Portugal and Austria

The Dutch retailer Zeeman has announced plans to withdraw from the Portuguese and Austrian markets and close 51 stores across France, Spain, and Germany this year. The company stated in its annual rep...

Haarlem 'food rescuers' save 67,000 kilos of food from waste annually

The Haarlem Food Future foundation rescues approximately 67,000 kilograms of surplus food from local supermarkets every year to prevent waste and support families in need. Volunteers collect and distr...

434 listed buildings sold in Haarlem: sales price 62 percent higher than standard homes

According to data from the NVM brokers' association, 434 monument properties were recently sold in Haarlem. These historic homes are priced 62 percent higher on average compared to standard residentia...

KLM further postpones flights to Dubai and Saudi Arabia

KLM has extended the suspension of its flights to Dubai and Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Flights to Dubai, which were previously cancelled through June 28, will now rem...

Sluiseiland finally accessible from IJmuiden after locks reopen, but frustration remains. 'A three-day outage was beneath our pride,' says former RWS employee

Rijkswaterstaat reopened the Kleine Sluis and Zuidersluis on Tuesday, restoring access to Sluiseiland for residents and emergency services after a three-day outage. While these locks are functional ag...

New Haarlem Spaarnepoort bus station to reduce car space on Schipholweg, info market soon

The Schipholweg in Haarlem is undergoing a major transformation involving the construction of the new Haarlem Spaarnepoort public transport hub and surrounding housing developments. These changes will...

Childcare staff shortage could triple in the coming years

Researchers from Ipsos and SEO Economic Research predict that the labor shortage in the childcare sector will triple in the coming years despite ongoing efforts to address it. The study highlights tha...

Bridges are a ticking time bomb in the Dutch road network

Traffic bridges across the Netherlands are facing a maintenance crisis, with one-third of municipalities reporting backlogs and many having to close structures for safety reasons. Experts warn of impe...

Existing home prices rise in all municipalities; Kaag en Brasem and Zoeterwoude see sharpest increases according to CBS

Existing owner-occupied homes in the Netherlands were 5.2 percent more expensive on average in the first quarter of this year compared to 2023. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), home prices i...

Mango owner suspected in father’s death temporarily steps down

The owner of the Spanish fashion chain Mango has temporarily stepped down from his position after being linked to the death of his father in December 2024. The investigation into his involvement in th...

Oil giant BP dismisses chairman over 'serious concerns' about performance

British oil giant BP has dismissed its chairman, Albert Manifold, effective immediately due to serious concerns regarding his performance. This decision contributes to ongoing leadership instability w...

Unions: cabinet proposals seem insufficient

Dutch trade unions FNV, CNV, and VCP have rejected the government's latest social security reform proposals, calling them insufficient and unclear. Although the unions have agreed to a clarifying meet...

Cabinet pauses unemployment and disability reforms but sticks to €6.5 billion in cuts

The Dutch cabinet has paused planned changes to unemployment and disability benefits while seeking alternative ways to achieve 6.5 billion euros in social security cuts. Although the proposal to incre...

Iranian hack of payment provider puts central bank president on alert: 'Gamechanger'

An Iranian cyberattack on payment provider Verifone in March has put De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) on high alert regarding the security of the national payment system. Bank officials warned that AI-driv...

Prices continue to rise, but not to 2022 record levels

Inflation in the Netherlands is rising due to the conflict in the Middle East, though it is not expected to reach the record levels seen in 2022. Olaf Sleijpen, President of De Nederlandsche Bank, sta...

Subsidy for restoration of historic facades in Zandvoort

Entrepreneurs and property owners in Zandvoort can apply for subsidies to restore historical facades. The scheme offers financial support of up to 10,000 euros for mid-terraced buildings and 12,500 eu...

The Harbour Club in Amsterdam-East granted temporary suspension of payments

Minister Vijlbrief reconfirms: faster increase in state pension age off the table

Dutch Minister of Social Affairs Hans Vijlbrief has confirmed that the cabinet is withdrawing plans to accelerate the increase of the state pension age. The decision aims to secure a broader social ag...

State Secretary blocks US takeover of company behind DigiD

State Secretary Aerdts has blocked the acquisition of Solvinity, the IT company responsible for the DigiD identity system, by the American firm Kyndryl. The Dutch government cited national security co...

Gas and oil prices rise again after new US attacks on Iran

Natural gas and oil prices increased on Tuesday following a decline the previous day. The price hike was triggered by new United States military attacks against Iran on Monday evening, which have dimm...