d66

Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs is facing the Tweede Kamer on Wednesday on statements he made about multicultural societies. He faced fierce criticism from the parliamentarians, including from coalition parties D66, CDA and ChristenUnie. Only populist parties PVV and FvD outright supported his remarks, NOS reports. 

The government parties VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie reached an agreement on the budget for 2019 and agreements were made about how dividend tax will be abolished, the parties said after a final meeting on Thursday evening. The parties would give no details about their agreements. That will be presented on Budget Day, the third Thursday in September, NOS reports.

The government of Curacao released a statement distancing itself from statements Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs made about multicultural societies. The island's government "deeply regrets" the statements, because as foreign minister Blok also speaks on behalf of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. The Surinamese government would like Blok to apologize for his statements.

Amsterdam politicians were shocked by the revelation that Leen Schaap, commander of the Amsterdam fire department, received death threats from members of his own corps. They think it is outrageous, too crazy for words and completely unacceptable, AT5 reports. 

After months of negotiations, the parliamentary factions of GroenLinks, PvdA, VVD, CDA, D66, ChristenUnie and SP have reached an agreement on a new Climate Act for the Netherlands, NU.nl reports.

The proposed law states that the Netherlands has to reduce its emissions by 49 percent in 2030 and 95 percent in 2050 compared to emission levels in 1990. By 2050 all energy in the Netherlands must be generated sustainably. 

The Netherlands is up to its ears in illegal ivory trade and therefore directly complicit in the mass slaughter of elephants in Africa, American network Avaaz and action group Elephant Action League conclude in a scientific study that will be published next month, AD reports.

If it is up to interim mayor Jozias van Aartsen, Amsterdam will not participate in an experiment with regulated cannabis cultivation. According to him, the situation in the Dutch capital deviates too much from that in other municipalities, Het Parool reports.

The negotiations for a new climate law for the Netherlands are almost done. The negotiators for the seven parties involved in drafting this bill have agreed on the text for the law and will present it to their factions on on Tuesday. The negotiators agreed that the law must stipulate that CO2 emissions in the country must be reduced by 49 percent in 2030 when compared to 1990, and by 95 percent in 2050, NOS reports. 

A majority in the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, is in favor of a partial ban on wearing face-covering clothing. During a debate in the Senate, the VVD, CDA, PVV, ChristenUnie and SGP supported a legislative proposal for such a ban. The D66, SP, PvdA and GroenLinks are against it, NOS reports.

A legislative proposal by PVV parliamentarians Sietse Fritsma and Machiel de Graaf to send criminal Antilleans back to Aruba, Curacao or Sint Maarten got no support from other parties in parliament. "This is not possible and we should also not want this", CDA parliamentarian Madeleine van Toorenburg said in a debate in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, NOS reports.

Over two months after the municipal elections in March, Rotterdam still doesn't have a new city government. Coalition talks now started between the VVD, D66, GroenLinks, PvdA and ChristenUnie-SGP. Leefbaar Rotterdam, which came out as the biggest party in the city after the elections, is not part of the negotiations, NOS reports.

The six parties together have 23 seats on the municipal council, the smallest possible majority on a council with 45 seats. Previous negotiations stranded when GroenLinks, PvdA and D66 could not agree to forming a coalition with Leefbaar and VVD.