Transportation in the Netherlands is 35 percent higher than average prices in the E.U., making it the most expensive in the European Union. The analysis was produced by RTL Nieuws using figures from E.U. data agency Eurostat.
The cost analysis includes public transportation, taxis, and even airline tickets. When it comes to public transit, TU Delft transportation policy professor Bert van Wee said the price difference is effectively tied to government subsidization of the service.
The Netherlands is going to work for a better legal position for Dutch flight staff working for foreign airlines. The Dutch government teamed up with Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Luxembourg to tackle this problem together in Europe, NOS reports.
A Dutch man was shot and killed by the police after a chase in the city of Luxemburg last week Wednesday. The man was identified as a 51-year-old Dutch man who lived in Germany, AD reports.
The police tried to pull the man over for a routine traffic check, but he sped away in his black Mercedes. The police gave chase and quickly managed to bring the man's car to a stop. When a police officer got out of his vehicle, the man drove his car towards the cop. The officer fired three shots.
The Netherlands had the sixth highest hourly wage in the European Union's business sector with an average of 38.80 euros last year. Denmark came in first place with 42,50 euros, according to European stats office Eurostat, ANP reports.
The public- and agricultural sectors are not included in these figures.
In addition to Denmark, employers in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden and France also spent more on their employees' wages than the Netherlands. Bulgaria had the lowest hourly wage at only 4.90 euros gross.
The Netherlands should be on the European Union's blacklist of tax havens, according to development organization Oxfam Novib in a report. The EU is currently working on such a list, to get a clear picture on which countries 'refuse to play fair', and the expectation is that the Netherlands will not be on it, RTL Nieuws reports.
The EU list is expected to be presented in December. According to Oxfam, if the criteria for non-EU countries were also applied to the Netherlands, the country would definitely end up on the blacklist.
The Netherlands is the number one choice in the world for multinationals to funnel money into tax havens, according to a study done by researchers at the University of Amsterdam. The researchers concluded that 23 percent of capital flows through the Netherlands go towards tax havens, ANP reports.
Britain comes in second place with 14 percent, followed by Switzerland with 6 percent, Singapore with 2 percent and Ireland with 1 percent. Together these five countries account for nearly half of the money globally funneled towards tax havens.
With the region Zuid starting summer holiday this afternoon, the ANWB expects the roads to be extremely busy on Friday and Saturday, both in the Netherlands and abroad. Be ready to spend time in traffic jams, according to the service, AD reports.
The Netherlands' labor market is doing fantastically - unemployment continues to fall, just like unemployment benefits, and vacancies are on the rise. But the wages in the country are lagging behind the economic recovery and that must change, Christine Lagarde, director of the International Monetary Fund, said in Luxembourg on Thursday, Metro reports.
To reach the targets set in the Paris Climate Agreement, the European Union must reduce its CO2 emissions faster, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment said in Brussels at a meeting of EU Environment Ministers on Tuesday. The EU's ambitions are too low and the Netherlands and other countries are so concerned that they are considering voting against the EU plans and teaming up to come to their own, separate and more ambitious agreements, the Volkskrant reports.
The Netherlands is one of the most economically stable countries in the world, according to a report published by consulting and accounting firm KPMG on Friday. KPMG ranks Netherlands in second place, after Switzerland in first place and before Luxembourg in third. Hong Kong and Norway make up the top five, ANP reports.
According to KPMG those are the five countries that are macro-economically the most stable - they have a good infrastructure and a highly educated population. They are above average on involvement in the world economy and have very strong public institutions.
The Netherlands and Belgium are now working together to protect the Benelux air space. Luxembourg is also involved int he cooperation. Representatives of the three countries signed an agreement on this joint air space protection in December, NOS reports.
The Netherlands, Germany Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and Norway are teaming up to research technologies to generate renewable energy in the North Sea and to plan the construction of offshore wind turbines. These "North Sea countries" will ratify their agreements at the Energy Council in Luxembourg on Tuesday
For the third year in the row, Amsterdam made it to 11th place on the Mercer Quality of Living Rankings. Amsterdam is the only Dutch city to make it onto the rankings. Vienna has the highest quality of life in the world, Baghdad has the worst.
Film lovers in the Benelux region will have to travel to Amsterdam Noord if they want the chance to watch Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, The Hateful Eight, on 70mm film. The EYE film institute is the only theater in the area expected to screen the American director’s movie in that format, according to distributor Entertainment One.
The bordering nations of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany have agreed on a closer partnership in the fight against outlaw motorcycle gangs. The three countries intend to do a better job sharing information, and to change the way they work on the issue both administratively and in investigative procedures, newswire ANP reported.
“Countires that do not take back failed asylum seekers should be dealt with harshly” are the sentiments of Justice Secretary Dijkhoff when he spoke to European leaders in Luxemburg on Thursday regarding the maintenance of relations amung European nations, reported NOS. The Justice Secretary has called on economic sanctions against countries who withdraw their aid from the current refugee crisis.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be receiving the parliamentary chairman of Belgium and Luxembourg, Siegfried Bracke and Mars Di Bartolomeo, on Monday.
An Austrian politician has accused the German secret service and telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom of intercepting internet traffic to the Netherlands, among others.
Denmark is the most bike-friendly country, edging out cycling rivals in the Netherlands, the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) revealed in their their second-ever Cycling Barometer. Even though Denmark takes the first place in cycling advocacy, the Netherlands landed on top for cycling usage, ECF reported.
The BBC is launching its new drama channel, BBC First, in the Netherlands on May 16. The country is is the first continental European market where the channel will hit television screen
A delegation from the European Parliament will be visiting the Netherlands in May for an investigation into the so-called sweetheart tax deals with multinationals like Starbucks.
Long-term residents may still be compelled to pass a Dutch integration exam, but the exam's content will have to change, said the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union on Wednesday in Luxembourg. The advocate also said that the fine imposed by the Netherlands for those who fail to comply with integration obligations is disproportionate.
A new threat issued by a group claiming affiliation with ISIS names Amsterdam amongst several potential high-profile targets. Titled “Lone Wolves”, the Arabic-language piece seems to promote the use of dirty bombs with the statement, “You will feel it when Cesium-131 spreads down the streets and train stations of Russia, Boston, Dallas, Virginia and Amsterdam.”
The European Commission has reasonable doubts about the tax deal between US coffee chain Starbucks and the Dutch tax authorities. The commission wants to make its concerns known this week.
