Economy News in English

Parties accuse Jetten of 'false start' in cooperation with Parliament

Several political parties have criticized Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten for a "false start" in his cooperation with the House of Representatives due to his rigid stance on pension plans. Critics arg...

Owner of Telegraaf and NRC surpasses one million digital subscribers

Mediahuis, the publisher of Dutch newspapers De Telegraaf and NRC, reached a milestone of one million digital subscribers in 2025. This growth in digital subscriptions has successfully offset the decl...

Jetten acknowledges need for movement on coalition state pension plans

Prime Minister Rob Jetten has acknowledged that the Dutch government needs to make a concession regarding its state pension plans to restore relations with labor unions. Unions FNV, CNV, and VCP have ...

Poland: Defense costs pale in comparison to trillions after Russian attack

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski warned that the cost of defending NATO's eastern flank against a Russian attack would reach hundreds of billions of euros. He emphasized that these potential cos...

Odido refuses to pay hackers: data of hundreds of thousands of customers leaked on dark web

Telecom provider Odido has refused to pay a ransom to a criminal hacker group following a data breach involving millions of customer records. Consequently, the hackers have published the stolen data o...

Port of Rotterdam shrinks for fourth year in a row due to steel crisis

The Port of Rotterdam has experienced a decline in cargo throughput for the fourth consecutive year. Port authorities attribute this persistent shrinking to the struggling state of the European steel ...

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot continues to generate pornographic images: Dutch aid organizations sue Grok

Dutch organizations Offlimits and Fonds Slachtofferhulp are filing a summary injunction to ban Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, from the social media platform X. The legal action follows reports that the...

Number of births in Japan falls for tenth consecutive year

Japan's birth rate has declined for the tenth consecutive year, remaining one of the lowest in the world. The country continues to face significant challenges associated with a shrinking and aging pop...

ACM approves US acquisition of DigiD manager Solvinity

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has approved the acquisition of Solvinity by the American company Kyndryl. Following an investigation, the regulator concluded that the takeov...

Unions suspend talks with government until pension plan is off the table

Dutch trade unions FNV, CNV, and VHP have suspended negotiations with the new cabinet until plans to accelerate the increase of the state pension age are withdrawn. The unions stated that merely softe...

Wilders withdraws confidence in ‘Thieving Cabinet’, Jetten counters: ‘Trust is not easily earned back’

Prime Minister Rob Jetten is defending his government's policy statement during a parliamentary debate where opposition leader Geert Wilders has already expressed a lack of confidence. Jetten faces th...

Klaver attacks Jetten over NATO tax: ‘Make companies pay more’

Opposition leader Jesse Klaver criticized Prime Minister Rob Jetten during a debate regarding corporate taxes and the proposed increase in the retirement age. Despite criticism from unions and the opp...

Beware of unnecessary insurance when buying a washing machine or TV

The Dutch Consumers' Association is warning shoppers against purchasing unnecessary insurance policies when buying appliances like washing machines or televisions. These policies are often described a...

Moerdijk residents launch fund and fundraiser over uncertain future

The Moerdijk Residents' Collective has established a legal protection fund to raise money for legal defense and expert advice. This move comes as the village faces possible displacement due to the pla...

Anger over employers tampering with ‘too expensive’ schemes for older workers: ‘The timing is bizarre’

Dutch employers' association AWVN is proposing changes to regulations for older workers to reduce costs and keep them employed longer. The FNV labor union has strongly criticized the proposal, calling...

Chipmaker NVIDIA reports higher revenue thanks to AI investments

NVIDIA has reported a revenue increase of nearly 75%, driven by high demand for chips that power artificial intelligence applications. This growth exceeded financial market expectations, solidifying t...

US industry faces shortage of rare materials

The United States aviation and electronics industries are experiencing a growing shortage of rare materials necessary for manufacturing microchips and other components. Industry insiders report that t...

Energy bills to be dozens of euros lower this year

The Dutch statistics bureau (CBS) reports that average household energy bills in the Netherlands are expected to decrease by over 50 euros this year. This decline is primarily attributed to a projecte...

Coastal towns want mandatory insurance after cutter runs aground, Fisherman's Union supportive

Coastal municipalities in North Holland are advocating for mandatory liability insurance for vessels under 300 tons following the costly stranding of an uninsured cutter near Zandvoort. The Dutch Fish...

Investor home sell-off continues

Investors sold the highest number of homes in the fourth quarter of last year since 2021, according to data from the Dutch Land Registry. This trend indicates a continuing wave of property divestment ...

Jetten does not yet know what the new state pension plan will look like

Prime Minister Rob Jetten stated during a parliamentary debate that he does not yet know the specific details of the new plan to increase the state pension (AOW) age. He deferred the matter to the Min...

US allows Venezuelan oil sales to Cuba again

The United States has authorized Venezuela to resume oil sales to Cuba, provided the supplies benefit the Cuban people instead of the government in Havana. The U.S. Treasury Department described this ...

Bontenbal expects unions to discuss retirement age

CDA leader Henri Bontenbal expects labor unions to engage in discussions with the government regarding the proposed increase in the state pension age. This statement came in response to questions from...

Prominent Democrat Larry Summers resigns from Harvard

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers will resign from his teaching position at Harvard University at the end of the current academic year. Harvard University has confirmed the departure, which...

CNV also rejects motion to 'soften' state pension cut

The Dutch labor union CNV has expressed strong opposition to a parliamentary motion aimed at softening planned government changes to the state pension age. Chairman Piet Fortuin argues that any accele...

Opposition accuses VVD of making middle class foot the bill

Dutch opposition parties have criticized the VVD, accusing the new government of placing the financial burden of increased defense spending on the middle class. Leaders from parties such as GroenLinks...

JA21, CU, and BBB also critical of cabinet U-turn on Box 3

Opposition parties JA21, ChristenUnie, and BBB have criticized the Dutch cabinet's decision to amend the proposed wealth tax legislation known as box 3. Finance Minister Eelco Heinen announced the shi...

FNV also disagrees with 'mitigation' of state pension cuts

The FNV, the largest trade union in the Netherlands, has expressed its disagreement with a proposal by the Dutch House of Representatives to mitigate changes to the state pension (AOW). The union main...

Food bank in East faces homelessness: ‘A month ago we heard the building will be demolished’

Elon Musk’s AI app makes Dutch Parliament perform Nazi salute in 10 seconds: ‘Holy crap’

An investigation has revealed that Elon Musk's AI tool, Grok, generates extremist and antisemitic content, including images of the Dutch House of Representatives performing the Nazi salute. Organizati...