The Hague and Rotterdam reveal areas closed to the public during NATO Summit in June

Four areas of The Hague will be partly closed off to the public during the NATO Summit at the end of June. One of these is the World Forum, where the summit will be held, and the area surrounding it. There will also be restrictions in front of Huis ten Bosch because the government leaders will have dinner together at the palatial residence of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.

The Dutch police believes the NATO Summit will become the largest security effort in the force’s history, with 27,000 police officers expected to work 46,000 shifts around the event. “We are responsible for the safety of 45 heads of state and government leaders, 45 foreign ministers, 45 defense ministers, and 6,000 delegation members, along with ensuring the security of transportation and accommodations,” said Willem Woelders, the police commander in charge of the planning, stated late last year. Additionally, 2,000 journalists are expected to attend, representing media outlets around the world.

The World Forum and the surrounding area are closed off from Thursday, June 19, to Wednesday, June 25. Only the people who are a part of the summit will be allowed inside. Their credentials will be checked at the entrance.

Businesses and institutions that are based there will not be accessible. People who live in the area will be able to walk to and from their home. Cyclists and cars will not be allowed in the area and there will be no trams running in the vicinity.

King Willem-Alexander will receive the participants in the summit at the palace in the Haagse Bos on the last evening before the start of the summit. This area will close on Tuesday, June 24, at 5 p.m. and will only be free for public use again on Wednesday, June 25, at 11 a.m.

The measures also apply to the area near the Carlton Ambassador Hotel and the Hilton Hotel on the Zeestraat. This is also where the Panorama Mesdag museum is located. This area is closed from noon on Sunday, June 22, up to 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 26. During this period, ships will not be allowed to sail through the canal along the Mauritskade.

People will be free to visit the beach and swim in the sea at Scheveningen. It will also be permitted to paddle board and surf, but motorboats will not be allowed there.

Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schouten has said that the impact of the summit on the city is expected to be limited. Zuid- Holland coastal towns such as Hoek van Holland, which is part of Rotterdam, have been asked to draw up an emergency ordinance for the period around the summit.

The ordinance with restrictive measures will apply from the beach to 1 kilometer out to sea, Schouten wrote to the municipal council. The municipal council still has to ratify the emergency ordinance, which is expected to happen on June 5.

Schouten has said that visitors to the beach will hardly feel an effect of the ordinance. However, traffic issues may arise in the city due to the fact that some of the delegations will be staying in Rotterdam. Traffic can occur when these delegations are on the move, but this impact will be "kept as small as possible," Schouten said.

She added that the expected impact on Rotterdam may seem limited now, but that this can always change. Safety risk areas are expected to be designated in municipalities that are involved in the summit, such as Rotterdam. Schouten expects more information about this in May.