Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance is "very satisfied" with the agreement the EU Finance Minsters reached about the so-called eurozone budget, calling it a "fruitful result for Dutch tax payers". "We have taken important steps towards better spending of EU money", the Dutch Finance Minister said in Luxembourg on Thursday, AD reports.
Wopke Hoekstra
Sep 26 '19 13:20
Parties in the Tweede Kamer are doubtful about whether the Dutch State's purchase of 750 million euros in Air France-KLM shares is having the promised effect. Coalition party D66 and opposition parties PvdA and PVV, among others, want Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra to show how the government's purchase of these shares improved KLM's position in the airline combination, NOS reports.
Sep 26 '19 11:27
The Public Prosecutor launched a criminal investigation into ABN Amro for money laundering and terrorism financing. The bank is suspected of reporting suspicious transactions late or not at all, and not screening its clients properly, NOS reports.
A spokesperson for ABN Amro confirmed to NOS that the bank was informed of the investigation on Wednesday. Other than that ABN Amro is fully cooperating in the investigation, the bank would say nothing further.
Sep 25 '19 08:01
Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance does not want to outright ban a negative interest rate on savings. Such a "hard ban" would be a "very significant intervention in the market" which can have negative effects, he said in response to parliamentary questions from the CDA and PvdA, NU.nl reports.
2020 Dutch budget to see big boosts for housing, youth care & migration; Opposition voices criticism
Sep 17 '19 16:15
The ruling cabinet in the Netherlands outlined a plan for 2020 that includes an extra 350 million euros to respond to problems on the housing market, 300 million euros to tackle issues related to youth care, and 134 million euros on asylum procedures and migration. Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance presented the Rutte III government's budget for next year to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, on Tuesday.
Sep 17 '19 10:14
At 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday the Rutte III government will present its budget for next year. But as every year, a number of the government's plans already leaked to the press. Here follows a summary of what we know so far, compiled by NOS and RTL Nieuws.
Sep 17 '19 09:13
Today is Budget Day, or Prinsjesdag, in the Netherlands. This is the official opening of the parliamentary year. King Willem-Alexander will give a speech and the government will present its budget plans for next year. Here's what to expect.
Sep 13 '19 08:10
Five Dutch banks want to team up and establish an organization to tackle money laundering together. The idea is that by viewing the banks' total 10 billion transactions per year together, it will be easier for the organization - which they plan to call Transactie Monitoring Nederland (TMNL) - to identify suspicious activities, the Dutch association of banks NVB said to RTL Nieuws.
Aug 22 '19 10:20
The Dutch government plans to set up a fund containing billions of euros as a buffer to guarantee economic growth in the Netherlands, the Telegraaf reports based on sources. The amount to go in this fund has not yet been decided, but according to the newspaper, the amount of 50 billion euros is circulating on the Binnenhof.
Aug 16 '19 14:20
After a nice summer break, the Dutch government is back at work. The Ministers will meet for the first time again on Friday, to catch up on current affairs under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Rutte during the Council of Ministers, Hart van Nederland reports.
The only Minister still on holiday is Ferdinand Grapperhaus, who stood in for Rutte during the summer and still has some vacation days to catch up on.
Jul 12 '19 16:10
The Dutch government is nominating only one candidate for the position of director of the International Monetary Fund. And that candidate is former PvdA Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, sources in The Hague confirmed to both NOS and the Volkskrant.
Earlier this week current Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said that the Netherlands has a few excellent candidates. On Friday he said that one candidate seems to be holding really good cards and that the government wants to improve their position even further. He did not mention any names.
Jul 11 '19 14:20
The Dutch government is planning to implement stricter rules for financial institutions' remuneration policies, including stricter rules on share benefits and bonuses. Representatives of the FinTech sector, which falls under 'financial institutions', are outraged by these new rules, saying that they will result in higher financial risks for the companies, unfair competition, and higher administrative costs, Financieele Dagblad reports.
Jul 1 '19 08:09
Banning cash payments of over 3 thousand euros, regulating cryptocurrencies, and calling for the 500 euros banknote to be taken out of circulations are two of a large package of measures against money laundering that Ministers Wopke Hoekstra of Finance and Ferdinand Grapperhaus of Justice and Security sent to parliament on Monday.
May 29 '19 10:09
This year the Dutch government is allocating extra money for Defense, climate measures, youth care and education, according to the Spring Memorandum that Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance sent to parliament. The extra money allocated to Defense is far too little, American ambassador Peter Hoekstra said to the Volkskrant.
May 9 '19 11:00
The government will push a total of 920 million euros extra into youth care over the next four years, is stated the Spring Memorandum that will be presented later his month, sources in The Hague told newspaper AD.
This year the Dutch municipalities will receive an extra 350 million euros for youth care, followed by 190 million euros per year in the next three years. The government hopes that municipalities will be able to eliminate the deficits they have with this extra money.
May 7 '19 08:45
The European Union needs to set different priorities, and Germany must take the lead in this, according to Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra. In his lecture at the Humboldt University in Berlin on Tuesday, he will call for more attention for European defense, for protecting the external borders, for tackling the climate problem, and for making sure that all EU member states adhere to EU rules, NOS reports.
Mar 6 '19 07:53
Not informing the Tweede Kamer about the government purchasing shares in Air France-KLM was a "judgment call", Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance said in a debate on the matter on Tuesday. He considered all variants of parliamentary involvement in the purchase. "Considering all the pluses and minuses, this was the most ideal, but an ideal outcome does not exist", he said, NOS reports.
Mar 1 '19 12:40
It seems that the Netherlands and France are on good terms again, after the Dutch state unexpectedly bought a large interest in Air France-KLM this week. During a joint press conference, Dutch Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance and French Minister Bruno Le Maire of Economic Affairs stressed their common interest in making Air France-KLM "the best aviation company in the world", NOS reports.
Feb 28 '19 09:25
French president Emmanuel Macron wants clarity from the Dutch government about its strategy with regard to Air France-KLM. Now that the Dutch state bought a considerable interest in the airline combination, it is important for the Netherlands to make its intentions clear, Macron said, AD reports.
Feb 27 '19 08:53
The Dutch State bought 12.68 percent shares in Air France-KLM, worth 680 million euros, Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance announced at a press conference on Tuesday evening. The French government did not know about this move in advance, according to French Minister of Economic Affairs Bruno Le Maire, NU.nl reports.
Feb 20 '19 10:50
Pieter Elbers will be allowed to stay on as CEO of Dutch airline KLM, the board of Air France-KLM decided. The Dutch man's term as CEO comes to an end in April, but the intention now is that it will be extended. The shareholders still have to formally approve Elbers' reappointment at the annual meeting in April, NOS reports.
Jan 25 '19 12:00
Prime Minister Mark Rutte criticized Brussels for being too lax as far as Italy is concerned. The European Commission must be harsher on Italy for violating budget agreements, Rutte said at an economic summit in Davos. The current state of affairs fosters mistrusts among citizens of other EU member states, including the Dutch, he said, NU.nl reports.
Oct 18 '18 15:10
Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance canceled his planned visit to an investor conference in Saudi Arabia next week, following the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after he visited the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The consultancy firm that organized Hoekstra trip confirmed that the Minister is no longer going, ANP reports.
Surveillance camera footage show Khashoggi entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 3rd. There is no footage of him leaving again and he hasn't been seen since. There is still much confusion about what happened to him.
Oct 10 '18 12:50
Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance will skip te autumn meeting of the International Monetary Fund in Bali this year, so that he can be available for consultations on the possible abolition of dividend tax, his spokesperson said, ANP reports.
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