The relationship between the Netherlands and the United States has "cooled down" and "soured" according to Dutch diplomats and diplomatic experts. "There is declining confidence, I hear at the top of Dutch diplomacy", diplomatic expert Robert van de Roer said to RTL Nieuws. "Behind the scenes you hear: America is not America anymore."
Paris Climate Agreement
Oct 14 '19 16:30
Dec 17 '18 08:43
An agreement was signed at the United Nations climate summit in Katowice, Poland on Saturday. The Dutch delegation and government are satisfied with the result, NU.nl reports.
Dec 4 '18 09:19
Prime Minister Mark Rutte called on the government leaders in Europe to be more ambitious in reducing their countries' CO2 emissions, wile speaking at the climate summit in Poland. In the Rutte III coalition agreement the Dutch government agreed to lower emissions by 49 percent by 2030. The government wants to increase that to 55 percent and Rutte called on other European countries to set the same goal, NOS reports.
Dec 3 '18 07:57
World leaders and scientists from almost al countries in the world are gathering in Katowice, Poland for an international climate summit. Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Ministers Eric Wiebes of Economic Affairs and Climate, Sigrid Kaag of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure and Water Management, and State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven of Infrastructure will represent the Netherlands, the Telegraaf reports.
Apr 4 '18 14:30
Environmental organization Milieudefensie is filing a lawsuit against Shell in an effort to force the Dutch oil and gas company to adjust its policy to prevent further damage to the climate, Milieudefensie announced in a press conference at Shell's former headquarters in Amsterdam, ANP reports.
Mar 27 '18 12:20
The Dutch government plans to build three more offshore wind farms, in addition to five new wind farms already agreed upon in the Energy Agreement. The government wants the total offshore wind farms to produce 40 percent of the Netherlands' current electricity consumption by 2030.
Feb 21 '18 12:40
The contract to transit coal through the port of Rotterdam has been extended by 25 years, despite objections from a majority in the Rotterdam municipal council and a number of environmental organizations, NOS reports.
Rotterdam is the largest transit port for coal in Europe. Coal comes from outside Europe, and is then transported through the port to, for example, coal-fired power plants in the Netherlands and abroad. European mass transshipment company EMO carries out the coal transhipment in Rotterdam.
Dec 11 '17 16:40
Prime Minister Mark Rutte is participating in the One Planet Summit in Paris on Tuesday. This informal climate summit marks the two year anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement.
This informal summit was arranged by French president Emmanuel Macron. Its aim is to look at how far countries have come to meeting their climate goals set in the agreement, and to motivate them to achieve these goals.
The summit will be attended by government leaders, civil society organizations and business representatives.
Dec 1 '17 09:26
By the end of this government's term in 2021, the energy bill for Dutch households will be on average 175 euros more expensive than this year, Minister Eric Wiebes of Economic Affairs and Climate said in a parliamentary debate on Thursday. Next year, households can expect an average energy bill increase of 45 euros, NU.nl reports.
Wiebes emphasized that this is an estimate, but if there is no change in policy, households can take these increases into account.
Oct 31 '17 13:00
The Netherlands is falling behind internationally in breaking the link between CO2 emissions and economic growth, according to advisory office PwC in its Low Carbon Economy Index 2017, ANP reports.
For this index, the researchers looked at how much carbon dioxide a country emits to make a million dollars. In the Netherlands the so-called CO2 intensity increased by 0.1 percent. While the carbon intensity for the G20 countries - the world's 20 biggest economies - decreased by 2.6 percent on average.
Oct 31 '17 12:20
With the new Dutch government's plans, the Netherlands can reach about half of the climate goals set in the Paris climate agreement, according to an analysis by living environment planning office PBL. In order to achieve all the goals in the Paris Agreement, which is aimed at limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees, the government must make additional agreements with the Dutch industry, the PBL says, ANP reports.
Oct 11 '17 15:50
The new Dutch government presented a very ambitious energy policy in its government agreement on Tuesday. By 2030 the Rutte III cabinet wants the Netherlands' greenhouse gas emissions to be 49 percent lower than the level it was in 1990, a higher goal than what European rules currently demand. The governments is also planning to advocate for a 55 percent reduction in emissions in Europe. But according to environmental organization Greenpeace, while this policy is very ambitious, it is still not enough.
Jun 16 '17 13:00
While the topic of asylum deals with North African countries was the final straw for GroenLinks, it was not the only reason behind the party's decision to withdraw from the government formation negotiations with VVD, D66 and CDA, GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver said in an interview with the Volkskrant.
Jun 16 '17 07:44
The Netherlands is doubling its contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to 100 thousand euros to help compensate for the United States' withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, Environment State Secretary Sharon Dijksma said to the Volkskrant. She called on other European countries to do the same and thereby fill the financial hole the Americans left.
Jun 6 '17 08:36
Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement is a "turning point" in the relationship between America and the Netherlands, Dutch Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs said in a speech at Harvard University, ANP reports. "On the one hand, cooperation is needed more than ever, but it is also time for Europe to take its own responsibility", Koenders said.
Jun 2 '17 14:35
By stepping out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the United States is losing out on economic opportunities and innovation possibilities, former UN climate director Yvo de Boer said to BNR. With his decision, Donald trump is boosting the economy of the past, rather than investing in the economy of the future, he said.
Jun 2 '17 07:54
The United States is pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, president Donald Trump announced in a statement at the White House on Thursday afternoon, local time. The Netherlands deplores this decision, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in response. Our country and the rest of the world remains committed to battling climate change, he stressed. Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders called Trump's decision a "cardinal error", Environment State Secretary Sharon Dijksma called it a "historic mistake".
Jun 1 '17 09:18
State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment calls it a "bitter disappointment" that the United States seems to be planning to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, as American media reported widely on Wednesday. "If it's true, today is a sad day for the world", she said to RTL Nieuws.
On Wednesday American media sources massively reported that president Donald Trump will abandon the climate pact, though there is no official confirmation from the White House yet. On Twitter Trump said he will announce his plans at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, local time.
May 24 '17 14:15
Shell shareholders turned down an activist proposal urging the company to commit to the Paris Climate Agreement at the shareholders meeting in Scheveningen on Tuesday, were climate strategy was the main topic. This outcome meant that concrete action or measurable quotas are not deemed necessary by Shell shareholders in order to reduce emission.
