Politics News in English

Audit Court: Amsterdam must address shared two-wheelers

The Amsterdam Audit Office has advised the city to expand its network of neighborhood hubs for shared scooters and bikes to effectively reduce car usage. Currently, the impact of these hubs on city tr...

Groene Hart could still open to wind turbines next year

The South Holland provincial government has temporarily withdrawn its plan to install wind turbines in the Groene Hart region but may reconsider opening up to twelve potential sites next year. Further...

Is there a future for shared bikes in Amsterdam? Neighborhood hubs struggle to reach even one ride per day

Gastric bypass for severely obese teenagers to be covered: ‘Obesity is a chronic, serious disease’

Dutch teenagers suffering from extreme obesity can now receive coverage for gastric bypass surgery under the basic health insurance package. This policy change applies to young people with severe heal...

Haroon Ali: Don’t let your Dutch citizenship be taken away

Author Haroon Ali warns that far-right movements are successfully normalizing the concept of "remigration" within European public debate. He argues that this mainstreaming of extremist ideas poses a t...

Australians smoking more despite rising cigarette prices

Smoking in Australia has increased since 2017, despite government anti-smoking policies that tripled cigarette prices. The rise in tobacco use is primarily attributed to a significant increase in the ...

Official negotiations on Ukraine's EU accession can proceed

Official negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova to join the European Union can proceed after Hungary withdrew its veto. Cyprus, as the current EU chair, announced that preparations for the first negotia...

Netherlands to resume sending asylum seekers back to Italy once migration pact takes effect

Starting June 12, the Netherlands will resume transferring asylum seekers back to Italy under the new EU Migration Pact. This policy applies to individuals who first entered Europe via Italy before ap...

Cabinet approves nearly 400 million euros extra for emergency and development aid

The Dutch cabinet has reached an agreement to allocate an additional 328 million euros for emergency and development aid this year. Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma brokered the deal with the GroenLinks-PvdA...

Broadcasters ask minister for action against Ongehoord Nederland in draft letter

Dutch public broadcasters have sent a joint draft letter to Culture Minister Rianne Letschert expressing concerns about Ongehoord Nederland (ON!). The broadcasters argue that ON!'s actions are harming...

Hungary and Ukraine reach agreement on diaspora rights

Hungary and Ukraine have reached an agreement regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine following weeks of negotiations. Hungarian leader Péter Magyar praised the outcome of the deal ...

Cabinet reaches agreement with GL-PvdA on extra aid funding

The Dutch government has reached an agreement with the GroenLinks-PvdA opposition to allocate an additional 328 million euros to the development aid budget this year. This deal ensures the budget has ...

New coalition: 'We are not going to put up billboards with what we have achieved'

Amsterdam's new coalition between PRO Amsterdam and D66 has finalized an agreement that focuses on addressing the housing crisis and maintaining generous asylum policies while reducing the city's civi...

Amsterdam was wrong to withdraw the Weespersluis development plan: ‘Hopefully they will talk to us residents again’

Little disappointment among South and Red Light District residents over erotic center cancellation

Residents of Amsterdam's Zuid and De Wallen neighborhoods have reacted positively to the decision by political parties PRO and D66 to scrap plans for a centralized erotic center. The coalition will in...

Little disappointment among South and Red Light District residents over scrapped erotic center

Residents of Amsterdam's South and Red Light districts have reacted positively to the decision by political parties PRO and D66 to scrap plans for a large centralized erotic center. Instead of a singl...

'The misery in Groningen is so massive, I had no idea.' Spaarndam author Anne-Gine Goemans dives into earthquake zone for thriller

Spaarndam-based author Anne-Gine Goemans has released a new thriller set in the earthquake-stricken province of Groningen. The novel explores both the physical damage and the emotional toll on residen...

Velsen municipality miscalculates phone outages due to small Excel error

The municipality of Velsen incorrectly reported a phone outage of over 25 days instead of just three due to a calculation error in an Excel file. Telecom provider Vodafone flagged the mistake after no...

70,000 fans relieved: controversial rapper Kanye West allowed to perform in Arnhem

A Dutch court has rejected a request from a Jewish interest organization to declare Kanye West an undesirable person, allowing his scheduled performance in Arnhem to proceed. The ruling ensures that t...

Haarlem must house 283 more status holders this year

The municipality of Haarlem must provide housing for an additional 283 status holders by the end of this year, according to new figures from the Dutch government. Since the beginning of 2024, 91 refug...

Standing on its own feet is a necessity for Europe, but it costs a lot of money

Europe aims to reduce its technological dependency on the United States and China to mitigate vulnerability to external political shifts. Although establishing autonomy is viewed as a strategic necess...

What lessons is Zandvoort learning from a tumultuous Pentecost weekend? Calls for more measures grow louder

During the Pentecost weekend in Zandvoort, groups of troublemakers caused significant unrest, vandalism, and threats along the beach and boulevard. The disturbances forced two beach pavilions to close...

Condition of bridges in Velsen is good, only Juliana Bridge needs replacement

While a third of Dutch municipalities struggle with bridge maintenance backlogs, the situation in Velsen is reportedly good. Only the Julianabrug requires replacement, a project that has already been ...

Political reporter Tim Wagemakers on the coalition agreement: ‘Car owners will pay more’

Reactions to Amsterdam coalition agreement: ‘The only truly progressive thing is making car ownership impossible’

Fifty reports of street insecurity made to the municipality so far

The municipality of Amsterdam has received fifty reports regarding street safety since implementing a more streamlined reporting system earlier this year. This change aims to better identify specific ...

Fifty reports of street safety concerns made to the municipality so far

The City of Amsterdam has processed fifty reports from residents about unsafe public spaces since improving its system for tracking safety-related complaints. This data collection initiative follows a...

Haarlem spends millions extra on laptops and smartphones for officials: 'Rise of AI driving up prices'

The municipality of Haarlem will invest an additional 7.5 million euros over the next five years to provide civil servants with updated laptops and smartphones. This budget increase is driven by stric...

How much extra traffic will the construction of 24 apartments on Willem de Zwijgerlaan in Castricum cause? ‘It’s often very busy already’

Residents expressed concerns about increased traffic and parking issues during a meeting regarding the construction of 24 new apartments on Willem de Zwijgerlaan in Castricum. The participation evenin...

New parking rules for Hoofddorp city center

New parking regulations will take effect in the city center of Hoofddorp starting October 1st to improve accessibility for residents and visitors. The municipality of Haarlemmermeer is implementing th...