After hours of difficult negotiations, the leaders of the 28 European Union member states reached an agreement on migration policy at a summit in Brussels, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council announced on Friday morning, NU.nl reports.
"Everything was complicated", Prime Minister Mark Rutte said about the summit. "I am not going to say that the whole issue has now been resolved, but we have taken a big step."
Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the decision of United States president Donald Trump to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal "clumsy". The European Union leaders discussed this issue at an EU summit in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia on Wednesday, NOS reports.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte is not available to succeed Donald Tusk when his term as EU president ends next year, the Prime Minister said on Friday, NOS reports
On Friday morning Rutte's VVD colleague Frits Bolkestein said to the Volkskrant that Rutte would do well to succeed Tusk. According to the former European Commissioner, it is in the interests of the Netherlands for Rutte to accept this "crucial function" in the European Union. He also said that Rutte as "binding figure" has the capacity to fill this difficult role
There was no confusion about the Netherlands stance at the start of the talks about Britain's departure from the European Union in Brussels on Thursday. "I hate the Brexit from all angles", Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said as he arrived at the summit, according to ANP. "You are one of our most beloved partners. But the Brexit is a decision of the British people and you can't argue wit democracy."
The official outcome of the election in the United Kingdom on Thursday is still unknown. But it is certain that Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party will lose its absolute majority. While anti-Brexit Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party gained ground. What consequences this will hold for the Brexit is unclear. We'll have to wait and see, is what Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has to say on the matter.
The Netherlands will not apologize to Turkey for the actions taken in Rotterdam on Saturday around the arrival of Turkish Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Mark Rutte said to Het Parool on Wednesday. "The actions taken on Saturday were firm and respectful."
In the first nine months of 2016 Dutch companies exported more to the Ukraine than in the same period last year, according to figures from the European Commission (EC). The total trade between the Netherlands increased by 4 percent to 1.17 billion euros. According to the Commission, this can be attributed to the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine, the trade part of which took effect on January 1st, ANP reports.
The Netherlands' presidency of the European Union has come to an end. From today Slovakia is the new president. On Thursday EU council president Donald Tusk thanked Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the term, which which was not the easiest time to be president, with the asylum crisis, the Ukraine referendum and the Brexit referendum to deal with.
The European Union have reached an agreement on a rescue package for Greece. The financially troubled country has to implement substantial reforms, including pension reforms and tax measures, in exchange for between 82 and 86 billion euros from the European rescue fund ESM over the next three years.
