The European Parliament this week passed new legislation to expand paternal leave after the birth of a child and paid parental leave, and though The Netherlands opposed European interference in what it sees as a national issue, the country will definitely comply with the rules when adopted, confirmed Social Affairs Minister Wouter Koolmees. It will expand on the paid leave already offered in The Netherlands if agreed by European Council.
European Parliament
Apr 5 '19 13:01
Dec 13 '18 10:10
The Dutch government is launching an online campaign against fake news in February, in the run up to the Provincial State and European Parliament elections next year. The campaign must make Dutch voters more aware of the possible presence of disinformation and help people recognize it, Minister Kasja Ollongren of Home Affairs said in a letter to parliament, NOS reports.
The campaign will be spread on social media and last for around four months, through the Provincial States election on March 20th and up to the European Parliament elections on May 23rd.
Oct 19 '18 08:48
The Dutch government is planning to launch a campaign against fake news in the run-up to the elections for the Provincial State and European Parliament. In a letter to parliament, Minister Kasja Ollongren of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations said that the government wants to make citizens more aware of misinformation around the elections, NOS report.
Jun 13 '18 14:20
According to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, unity within the European Union is more important than ever in this time when international relations and alliances can no longer be counted on. The EU countries must remain united and not let themselves be played against each other, was Rutte's main message in his speech in the European Parliament on Wednesday. "Unity is the basis of our strength", Rutte said, NU.nl reports.
Jun 13 '18 12:20
Dutch 18-year-olds can now apply for a free train ticket for a trip through Europe. This gift from the European Union is intended to "bring people together" and to show young EU residents that the European Union is "also about emotions, not just politics", according to initiator German MEP Manfred Weber, RTL Nieuws reports.
Here are the rules:
Jun 5 '18 12:10
The Fidesz party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban broke ties with the CDA. Over the weekend the CDA adopted a motion to remove its Hungarian sister party from the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament, which both parties belong to, if the Hungarians do not keep to European standards and values. The Hungarians now accuse the CDA of spreading lies, the Volkskrant reports.
Mar 16 '18 09:08
European Parliament approved the European Medicines Agency's move from London to Amsterdam, on the condition that the authorities report on the progress of the construction of the new EMA office on Zuidas every quarter, ANP reports.
Mar 13 '18 07:53
The European Parliament launched a thorough investigation into the appointment of German lawyer Martin Selmayr as Secretary General of the European Commission, which basically puts him in charge of 33 thousand EU officials. This follows a debate on the matter insisted on by, among others, Dutch European Parliamentarians, AD reports.
The parliamentary inquiry comes on top of an ongoing investigation by the European Ombudsman. The European Parliament will make a statement on the appointment next month, and it may even lead to a vote of no confidence.
Feb 23 '18 16:00
The Italian protest against the relocation of the European Medication Agency from London to Amsterdam continued during a so-called fact-finding mission which took place in Amsterdam on Thursday.
May 31 '17 11:32
Very little is known about how European Parliamentarians spend the about 4,300 thousand euros per month they receive fo expense compensation, NOS reports based on a European research project the broadcaster and 48 other journalists took part in. Many of the Dutch politicians NOS questioned on the matter, were reluctant to give information.
Apr 10 '17 08:17
Departing Dutch Finance Minister and Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem is feeling shunned over a statement he made in an interview over not spending all your money on "Schnapps and women" and then asking for help. "Everyone is walking circles around me", he said in an interview with the Volkskrant. "The issue escalated enormously, it's now like I committed a war crime." Nevertheless, he still stands behind the statement, he said to the newspaper.
Apr 4 '17 10:48
The European Parliament again called for Jeroen Dijsselbloem to resign as president of the Eurogroup on Monday after he refused to appear in Parliament to discuss the Eurogroup's role in solving the Greek crisis. Even his own PvdA faction in European Parliament (EP) is showing little support for him, RTL Nieuws reports.
Mar 30 '17 14:55
Departing Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem was laconic about the latest call from Europe for him to resign as Eurogroup president. "It was only a minority of a minority", Dijsselbloem said on Thursday, refering to a letter from over 70 of the 751 European Parliamentarians calling on him to apologize and resign, ANP reports.
Mar 29 '17 11:30
Over 70 of the 751 European Parliamentarians sent a letter to Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem demanding that he apologize for his "Schnapps und Frauen" statement and resign. The letter is singed by MEPs from 15 countries, including the German leader of the Christian Democrats, ANP reports.
Mar 24 '17 13:05
Dutch European Parliamentarian Annie Schreijer-Pierik is handing a petition to stop Daylight Savings Time to European Commissioner Violeta Bulc. On Sunday the Netherlands and other EU countries are setting their clocks one hour ahead.
The petition was organized by Dutch woman Anouk Verhaaff and signed by over 20 thousand people, Trouw reports. Schreijer is pleased with the number of signatures. The petition will be handed over to Bulc because she is busy with a study on the costs and benefits of Daylight Saving Time. The results are expected in October.
Mar 22 '17 13:50
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Eurogroup chairman and departing Finance Minister, is facing fire over statements made about southern European countries in an interview with the Frankfurter Allegemeine on Monday.
In the interview he said that he finds the Stability Pact, which contains the EU budget rules, very important. He praised the "northern countries" for showing "solidarity" with "crisis countries", but that comes with "responsibilities", he said. "I can't spend all my money on alcohol and women and then ask you for help", he said.
Jan 27 '17 10:09
Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs thinks its time for Europe to change, now that "America First is the motto" of the new U.S. president Donald Trump, he said in newspaper AD. "Not more Europe, not less. We need a different Europe."
Oct 20 '16 08:02
Two thirds of Dutch voters are in favor of the European Union, according to a study by TNS Nipo published on Thursday. The same percentage feel they don't know enough about the EU
Sep 26 '16 09:20
Former Dutch European Parliamentarian Joost Langendijk (GroenLinks) was arrested upon landing at Istanbul airport on Sunday and is currently on a flight back to Amsterdam. The Turkish authorities refused to allow him into his hometown of Istanbul, the Volkskrant reports after a telephone conversation with Langendijk.
May 6 '16 15:30
King Willem-Alexander will be giving a speech in the European Parliament on May 25th during a plenary session about the Dutch presidency of the European Union, the Koninklijk Huis announced on Friday.
Apr 28 '16 10:25
Europe will not be "blackmailed" by Turkey's threat to terminate the asylum agreement with the EU if the visa requirement for Turks is not lifted quickly, European Commissioner Frans Timmermans said to German newspaper De Zeit.
Apr 13 '16 15:10
A growing number of European Parliamentarians want to focus the Europol headquarters in The Hague by turning it into a European FBI. According to them, despite mountains of anti-terrorism measures taken since 9/11, things still go wrong in Europe because the security forces continue to refuse to share information
Apr 4 '16 14:15
The first group of Syrian asylum seekers from Turkey will arrive in the Netherlands on Tuesday, the European Commission announced on Monday. These are "recognized asylum seekers" that EU member states agreed to take in as part of the asylum agreement with Turkey, which took effect on Monday.
Feb 22 '16 10:30
Closing internal borders in the European Union will cost the EU 100 billion euros per year. And export dependent countries like the Netherlands will be hit the hardest, according to a report by the European Parliament's research department which will be published on Tuesday
Pages
