Govt. to restrict foreign funding to Dutch institutions

The Dutch government is working on a law that entails criteria foreign funders must meet if they want to give money to a Dutch institution, according to a letter the cabinet sent to parliament on Monday, Het Parool reports.

One of the things the government is considering is an obligation of all foundations in the Netherlands to be transparent about the donations they receive. In this way problematic and undesirable foreign financing to, for example, religious institutions can be better addressed, the government wrote, according to the newspaper.

The Dutch government is worried that foreign parties may interfere with Dutch institutions or promote activities that are contrary to the values and freedoms of the Netherlands.

This follows a recent commotion about foreign funding to Islamic institutions and mosques. For example, there were stories that the alFitrah mosque in Overvecht is financed by a charity organization in Kuwait that had ties to terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. This turned out not to be true, but did cause a commotion in the city.