Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem of Finance thinks that there should be an emergency procedure in politics that will allow parliament to reassess unexpected additional costs above a certain amount, even if they are of a compulsory nature, he said in an interview with Financieele Dagblad, specifically referring to additional costs for nursing home care.
Politics
Sep 20 '17 12:50
Sep 20 '17 12:10
A total of 905 thousand people tuned in to watch the live broadcast of Budget Day on Tuesday, fewer than in previous years, according to figures from Stichting KijkOnderzoek, NU.nl reports.
Last year 962 thousand people watched Budget Day on TV. In 2015 there were 1.2 million watchers and 983 thousand in 2014.
In 2013, King Willem-Alexander's first Budget Day, a massive 1.5 million people watched the Budget Day live broadcast, making it the best watched Budget Day broadcast in a decade.
Sep 20 '17 08:49
Twelve year old Haci Nuh stole the show in his role as Mini-Minister of Finance when Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem delivered the suitcase with next year's budget to the Tweede Kamer on Tuesday. Shrouded in a suit and black sneakers, Haci from Rotterdam shadowed Dijsselbloem throughout the entire Budget Day. He was in the Ridderzaal for the King's speech, went on interviews with the Minister and to the Tweede Kamer to discuss te budget, the Telegraaf reports.
Sep 19 '17 15:50
The municipality of The Hague is calling on the Dutch government to keep funding a program that helps prostitutes get out of sex work and build up a new living. Alderman Karsten Klein will send a letter with this call to the government this week, and hopes to also get support from his colleagues in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, NOS reports.
Sep 19 '17 15:10
The people of the Netherlands are currently not very enthusiastic about the still forming government of VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie, according to a study Ipsos did on behalf of broadcaster NOS. Only a quarter are positive about a government consisting of those four parties, around 33 percent are negative about it and over 40 percent have no strong feelings either way, NOS reports.
Sep 19 '17 14:49
On Tuesday King Willem-Alexander opened the Netherlands' parliamentary year with his traditional Budget Day speech. He talked about the devastation Hurricane Irma left of the Caribbean islands that form part of the Dutch Kingdom, terrorism around the world, the prosecution of those responsible for the MH17 disaster, and making sure that everyone in the Netherlands benefits from the improving economy, among other things.
Sep 19 '17 13:45
From 2018, the Netherlands is reserving money for prosecuting those responsible for the downing of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in July 2014, Dutch King Willem-Alexander revealed in his Budget Day speech on Tuesday afternoon.
Sep 19 '17 12:30
Some 900 people indicated on Facebook that they will gather in front of former Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan's official residence on Wednesday evening, to give the terminally ill mayor a standing ovation. They want to honor Van der Laan for all he did for Amsterdam with thundering applause.
Sep 19 '17 11:50
Avid fans of the Dutch Royals braved the early morning cold and mist to make sure they have a good spot along the route the Dutch King and Queen will take from Noordeinde Palace to the Ridderzaal in The Hague for Budget Day. The first spectators arrived at the palace at 6:30 a.m on Tuesday, according to ANP.
Sep 19 '17 11:10
As the time for the Rutte II cabinet to hand over to a new government approaches, the confidence the Dutch public has in the departing government increases. The VVD and PvdA government hasn't enjoyed as much confidence from the voters since its inauguration in 2012, according to EenVandaag's Budget Day poll. The same goes for Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Sep 19 '17 09:16
Shocked and sad reactions met Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan's announcement that he is stepping down due to his metastasized lung cancer. Van der Laan (PvdA) announced on Monday afternoon that he is resigning, based on the advice of his doctors. One Amsterdam city council member described the news as "a punch to the face", RTL Nieuws reports.
Sep 19 '17 08:25
Today is the last Budget Day for the departing Rutte II cabinet. In tradition and ceremony, the day is expected to look like every other Budget Day, with politicians decked out in fancy hats, the Royals arriving at the Ridderzaal in The Hague in a carriage and the famous balcony scene after the throne speech. But given the current VVD and PvdA government's departing status, no big news is expected in the budget. Big changes are left up to the new government.
Sep 18 '17 17:50
Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan officially stepped down from office on Monday, announcing his decision in a letter to the city’s residents.
Sep 18 '17 14:40
Almost two thirds of Dutch think that Budget Day is a valuable tradition, according to a study by HR service provider Raet among 1,000 Dutch people. However, two out of three respondents think that Budget Day is completely unnecessary this year, RTL Nieuws reports.
Sep 18 '17 13:20
Rob Verkerk, Commander of the Dutch Armed Forces, and Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs called critical statements by Sint Maarten Prime Minister William Marlin about Dutch soldiers on the island "complete nonsense". In an interview with NRC, Marlin said that Dutch soldiers did nothing to stop looting on the island after Hurricane Irma.
Sep 18 '17 08:32
Sint Maarten's prime minister William Marlin is critical of Dutch soldiers' failure to maintain public order on the island in the direct aftermath of Hurricane Irma, he said in an interview with NRC. "There was looting, the marines watched and did nothing", Marlin said.
Sep 18 '17 07:59
A total of 32 people were arrested during demonstrations in Enschede by extreme right-wing collaboration group Fortress Europe, which includes Pegida, and anti-fascist groups No-Hogesa and AFA on Sunday. All but one of the detainees were released from custody during the course of the day, ANP reports.
The suspect still in custody was a speaker during one of the demonstrations. He is suspected of insulting groups of people and discrimination.
Sep 14 '17 17:10
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has mixed feelings about European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker's plans for the European Union, which he revealed in the annual State of the Union address on Wednesday. "I like the short term ideas", Rutte said about the speech. "But there are also issues I like less", AD and the Telegraaf report.
Sep 14 '17 13:50
The municipality of Enschede is taking a number of extra security measures in preparation for various demonstrations scheduled to happen in the city on Sunday. Anti-Islam group Pediga arranged a demonstration for Sunday and a number of anti-fascist groups already announced counter demonstrations.
Extra security measures include a ban on face-covering clothing, the police will be allowed to preventatively search people on the streets, and the demonstration areas will be monitored by cameras, RTL Nieuws reports.
Sep 14 '17 11:50
The GroenLinks faction in Amsterdam wants to ban all cars from the city center, according to a draft election program that will be presented to the Amsterdam city council on Thursday, AT5 reports. "We'll make the Mauritskade, Stadhouderskade, and Nassaukade a green cycling- and walking boulevard", the program reads, according to the broadcaster.
Sep 14 '17 09:47
Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan acknowledged that there are problems in the municipality's department that works on combating radicalization among young people. An external team is being established to review the anti-radicalization department, Van der Laan wrote in a letter to the municipal council on Wednesday, NOS reports.
Sep 14 '17 08:39
State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure gave a remarkable answer to parliamentary questions by a PVV MP about NS' decision to use gender-neutral terms in their announcements.
PVV parliamentarian Roy van Aalst wanted to know hom many people are working on implementing the new gender-neutral form of address of "dear travelers" in NS announcements, according to AD.
Sep 13 '17 15:20
Minister Stef Blok of Security and Justice revoked the Dutch nationality of four jihadists. According to him, the four jihadists joined a terrorist organization abroad, NOS reports.
The four jihadists were also declared unwelcome foreigners, which means they can no longer legally return to the Netherlands or to other Schengen countries, according to the broadcaster. They jihadists lost their Dutch citizenship with immediate effect, though a court will review the decision at a later date.
Sep 13 '17 14:08
The VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie - the four parties currently negotiating forming a new Dutch government together - voted against permanently compensating the NIP-test for all pregnant women in the Tweede Kamer on Tuesday, NOS reports. Those four parties together make up a majority in the lower house of Dutch parliament.
