Top stories of 2025 include political crisis, women's safety, "loss" of Nobel winner
A turbulent national political scene and growing concerns about extreme violence against women dominated headlines in the Netherlands this year. A look back over the course of 2025 makes it clear that the top stories for NL Times readers were not only about sniping political rivals, backstabbing coalition partners, and disturbing violent crimes. A series of unusual, bizarre, and weird news items easily made the top 15 stories from January through December.
Will political stability return to The Hague?
The recent results of elections in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament, suggest Dutch voters are indeed fed up with the chaotic national political scene. Staggering inflation caused by the coronavirus pandemic response and Russia's invasion of Ukraine ushered in a wave of nationalist rhetoric, which became sharper in the run-up to the 2023 election. The anti-immigration policies, tax increases on some expats, and attacks on foreign investment and development aid during the campaign that November eventually ushered into power a fragile coalition between four right-wing and far-right parties, including the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB.
So precarious was this coalition, that the first Cabinet of Prime Minister Dick Schoof collapsed in June 2025, less than one year after taking office. PVV leader Geert Wilders pulled the plug when the coalition partners refused his demands to subvert the parliamentary process and enact immediate strict immigration, migration, and asylum policies, despite the four parties' earlier deal. Later, the NSC also withdrew from the Cabinet over policies related to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Dutch voters made it clear that they wanted a different direction, with a plurality voting for centrist party D66 in October, while the four incumbent parties all saw a moderate to significant loss in support. D66 party leader Rob Jetten is poised to become the next prime minister, with plans to form a coalition with the center-right CDA and potentially right-wing party VVD and far-right party JA21. However, they will still be short a majority in Parliament, meaning the VVD may have to relent on its refusal to work with the merged left-wing party of GroenLinks and Labour (GL-PvdA).
Femicide, violence against women a key issue in 2025
Although the murder rate in the Netherlands may have fallen to one of the lowest levels in decades, several violent crimes specifically targeting women put issues like femicide, matricide, and women's safety at the forefront of national conversations. The number of women killed by current or former partners has largely remained the same, and more women then ever are calling special hotlines to report abuse, prompting criticism of the national approach to tackling violence against women. Two cases in particular generated significant attention this year.
Murder of 17-year-old girl cycling home from Amsterdam
The Netherlands was shocked and dismayed by the murder of a 17-year-old girl who was cycling home to Abcoude after a night out with friends in Amsterdam. Lisa, a recent secondary school graduate, was riding home alone on her e-bike well before dawn one August morning when she saw she was being followed by a man who eventually knocked her off her bike and assaulted her. While she called police from a grassy, muddy verge in Duivendrecht, the man returned and stabbed her to death.
Police were on the scene quickly, but they were unable to save the girl, who died alongside a creek. The suspect was apprehended that same week, and was soon linked to brutal rape alongside a road in the capital, and another attack on a woman which investigators believe was either a mugging, an attempted sexual assault, or both.
He has not fully cooperated with investigators trying to determine his identity, and may be suffering from serious mental illness, his attorney said. He is believed to be a 22-year-old Nigerian man who had attempted to seek refugee status, and was living in an asylum shelter in Amsterdam-Zuidoost.
Father, brothers tried for honor slaying of Friesland woman, 18
It was also over the course of the year that more details emerged in the honor killing of 18-year-old woman Ryan Al Najjar from Joure, Friesland. She was found drowned in a pond at the Oostvaardersplassen nature site near Lelystad. The criminal case and trial developed in 2025, with prosecutors blaming her Syrian father, Khaled Al N., and her brothers, Mohamed Al N. and Muhanad Al N. for the crime. The brothers, aged 23 and 25 respectively, were arrested, while their father quickly fled to Syria, with a route that took him first into Germany, then Turkey.
It emerged that the young woman's wrists and legs were bound with tape, and tape was used to wrap her head. Investigators believe the father was offended because his daughter was too easily influenced by Western customs, stopped wearing a headscarf, spoke out on social media, and spent time with friends, including boys and men. Prosecutors demanded a 25-year prison sentence against Khaled Al N., being tried in absentia, and 20 years behind bars for the two brothers.
Despite incriminating statements made in chat messages, the brothers have professed their innocence, also providing testimony from their other sisters who indicated the brothers protected them from their father's violent outbursts. The district court is expected to rule on the case on Jan. 5.
The Netherlands unwittingly "lost" a Nobel Prize winner
When acclaimed physicist Andre Geim received British nationality in 2013 to qualify for a knighthood given by Queen Elizabeth II, Geim was completely unaware it would jeopardize his status as a Dutch person. Originally born in Russia, he applied and took on Dutch citizenship while working for Radboud University in Nijmegen through the 1990s.
He won the 2010 Nobel Prize for discovering graphene, a prize which was celebrated as a promotion for academics and research in the Netherlands. But this year, with far-right nationalists at the help in asylum and migration policy, any favoritism shown to Geim disappeared. “I was told that I had to hand in my passport to the Dutch embassy in London or Interpol would come after me," he said to the Volkskrant in reference to a letter he received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“I am very disappointed that I have lost my Dutch nationality, and I am very angry about it. The official reason is that I became British about twelve years ago because I was given a British knighthood, for which that was a requirement. I probably would have turned it down if I had known what that would mean for my Dutch nationality," he said. His appeals have thus far been rejected.
Dutch influencer brothers arrested in Dubai
The arrests of Samuel Onuha and his brother, Ruben Onuha, made headlines in March. The self-proclaimed multimillionaires were jailed in Dubai in connection with a drugs investigation.
Samuel, who was 25 when he was apprehended, is known for creating the Icon Amsterdam fashion brand seven years ago. He claims to have a fortune worth 30 million euros from his business, though this has not been verified. It became clear earlier in the year that there were no financial statements available for the company after 2022, and that year certainly did not indicate profits matching the brothers' claims.
He and his brother, who is two years younger, use social media to show off a lavish lifestyle as a means to promote their drop-shipping masterclasses and online presence. They were eventually released from custody.
European allies try tempting top Dutch high-tech firms into relocating
When Dutch microchip machinery giant ASML was displeased with the state of affairs in the Netherlands, several countries in Europe made efforts to convince the firm to expand into their market, or even relocate their offices. This situation is not unique, as European heads of state have been personally calling senior executives at other Dutch companies trying to promote their own countries, Economic Affairs Minister Vincent Karremans said in September.
A series of Dutch multinational firms have been displeased by national politics that have attacked tax credits for highly-skilled workers who move to the Netherlands, made recruitment processes more muddled, and the limits to the Dutch energy grid. Several companies indicated plans to expand abroad, instead of investing further in the Netherlands, and ASML and NXP were among those considering their options, at least until the Netherlands committed to invest more than 2.5 billion euros in the Brainport region near Eindhoven, and pledged to prioritize grid connections for high-tech firms.
Not everyone is thrilled by ASML's planned expansion in the area, with fears about housing availability and rising costs. The company plans to bring many more workers to the region, and Eindhoven confirmed earlier in the year it intended to buy up the Brainport campus.
Netherlands warns for three-day emergencies amid Russia hybrid war claims
Tensions between Europe and Russia have continued this year, with more warnings from Dutch agencies suggesting Russia is launching a hybrid war on the Netherlands and its allies, and continuing to push false flag narratives to justify attacks on Ukraine. This has led to campaigns warning residents of the Netherlands to be prepared for the possibility of a 72-hour emergency, with lengthy power outages, limited access to clean water, and internet and banking systems going offline.
Among the incidents raising concerns was the appearance of the Novorossiysk in the North Sea. The damaged Russian submarine was being helped by the Yakov Grebelskiy, a tugboat, after a reported fuel leak. It was initially escorted by the navies of the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium, before the Netherlands took responsibility for monitoring and escorting the ship out of territorial waters.
More raccoon dogs calling the Netherlands home
While many debates about animals living in the Netherlands have focused on wolves, the population of exotic invasive raccoon dogs have actually increased rapidly. The dogs look like raccoons, and prey on smaller animals, insects, fruits, and vegetables. “A raccoon dog is a forager that eats whatever comes in front of it,” biologist Paul ten Den told Nu.nl in June.
The shy animals are nocturnal, and generally avoid people. It is not yet clear if they will pose a threat to native species of flora and fauna in the country.
There has also been an uptick in raccoons in the Netherlands, as well as a return of the golden jackal. Wild deer and boar populations have also been thriving.
Continuing plans to file a lawsuit against travel website giant Booking.com
Tens of thousands of people and thousands of hotels planned to join lawsuits alleging unfair practices at Booking.com. The travel booking platform based in Amsterdam denied it was artificially increasing hotel prices, forcing hotels to maintain certain prices, and gouging customers who could have otherwise received lower rates. Some 15,000 hotels across Europe planned to take part in the lawsuit, including around 1,100 in the Netherlands.
A separate lawsuit brought by Dutch consumer group Consumentenbond received interest from over 130,000 applicants in less than a week, causing the organization's website to briefly crash. The organization wants people to be compensated for the artificially higher prices they paid at hotels, even if they did not use the Booking.com platform. The company has denied such allegations.
It was certainly not the only issue facing Booking.com this year. The company announced its plan to slash hundreds of jobs in Amsterdam just two weeks before reporting surging profit figures. Internally, staff members were also reportedly concerned that the platform was allowing holiday rental listings from Israeli occupied portions of the West Bank.
Could it soon take 10 years to obtain Dutch citizenship?
A proposal to increase the minimum residency for many people trying to obtain Dutch citizenship also drew the attention of many NL Times readers. The plan from the caretaker Cabinet was announced in September. It would restrict applications for naturalization to those living in the Netherlands for at least ten years, up from the five years of minimum residency required under most circumstances.
“By lengthening the naturalization period from five to 10 years, we are making sure that people have a stronger bond with our Kingdom and are well integrated and able to fully participate in society before becoming Dutch citizens,” said Justice and Security Secretary Arno Rutte at the time.
A public comment period ended last month, with the proposal due to be reviewed by the Council of State before it is debated further in Parliament.
Housing difficulties lead to tent camp stunt at Utrecht Central Station
The continuing housing crisis in the Netherlands has remained a thorn in the side for many in the country, especially those starting out in higher education. A marketing stunt by Dutch national railway NS saw the train operator set up a camp site at the central station in Utrecht to house 20 first-year students for a few days in August.
The event coincided with the introductory week in the city. The "campers" were able to use tents with made-up beds, a folding chair, breakfast, drinks, earplugs, and a bicycle.
Amsterdam continues fight against over-tourism in spat with bakery La Panetteria
The city of Amsterdam ordered a sandwich shop popular with tourists to stop selling food and coffee for immediate consumption as the company on the Singel only has a permit to sell pre-packaged goods for takeaway. The city acted on complaints from residents in the area who were fed up with people sitting at tables in La Panetteria, ordering fresh items to be made while waiting, and snacking right out in front of the facility.
The area has also been the site of residents fed up with TikTok queues: lines of people waiting to consume an item that went viral on the social media platform. Locals also filed a lawsuit against Fabel Friet on Runstraat alleging tourists blocking the sidewalk and tossing their trash on the street.
Layoffs may be looming in the Netherlands next year
Labor union CNV issued a warning in November that there could potentially be a wave of massive layoffs and job cuts in the Netherlands next year. Contract negotiations at roughly a third of businesses where CNV is at the table have mentioned job losses at one point or another, particularly in the financial services, industry, retail, and education sectors.
Aside from the prospect of large industrial companies leaving the Netherlands, like Fibrant, many smaller companies are also considering cuts to their workforce, CNV said.
“Companies ceasing investment is the prime harbinger of a sector going downhill. And that has an impact on employment," stated CNV chair Piet Fortuin. “Regulatory certainty is needed; entrepreneurs want to know where they stand,” Fortuin added.
“The situation is still manageable, but unemployment is rising."
