Europe & EU

Dutch MEPs urge EU action to protect ICC from looming Trump sanctions

EP Plenary session October 2026, about European support to defend the International Criminal Court / photo: EP

A broad coalition in the European Parliament is demanding urgent action to protect the International Criminal Court (ICC) from planned new US sanctions, warning that Europe has only a narrow window to respond before Washington acts. The debate puts fresh pressure on both Brussels and The Hague: should they continue relying on diplomacy, or start deploying legal tools to shield one of the Netherlands' most important international institutions?

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Dutch cabinet defends Israel policy after former diplomats demand tougher action

More than 230 former Dutch ministers, ambassadors, diplomats and senior civil servants have urged the government to take stronger action against Israel. Now, the Dutch cabinet has responded, signalling that it shares many of their concerns and highlighting a series of measures already taken, while avoiding any commitment to adopt

Dutch cabinet backs tougher Sudan sanctions as Netherlands joins famine warning

The Dutch government is continuing to push for additional sanctions against those sustaining Sudan's civil war, but is unwilling to suspend EU trade negotiations with the United Arab Emirates despite fresh allegations about foreign support networks linked to the conflict. The position highlights the delicate balance The Hague

Dutch Defence Ministry neither confirms nor denies report that military intelligence hacked Jared Kushner's phone

The Dutch Ministry of Defence has responded cautiously to claims that the Netherlands' military intelligence service monitored the mobile phone of Jared Kushner, after a new book alleged that Dutch intelligence gained access to information from the device with the help of a Russian hacker. Exclusive reporting and analysis

The Hague faces a Facebook dilemma after failed negotiations with Meta

After more than two years of negotiations, the Dutch government has quietly acknowledged that it failed to persuade Meta to address privacy concerns linked to official government Facebook pages. The talks collapsed without agreement, leaving The Hague facing a difficult choice: continue using a platform deemed problematic by privacy experts

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Dutch cabinet defends Israel policy after former diplomats demand tougher action

Dutch cabinet backs tougher Sudan sanctions as Netherlands joins famine warning

Dutch Defence Ministry neither confirms nor denies report that military intelligence hacked Jared Kushner's phone

The Hague faces a Facebook dilemma after failed negotiations with Meta