Africa

Was Sierra Leone’s EU funding suspended over 'Bolle Jos'? Brussels and The Hague offer different answers

Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel / photo: EUCO

The European Union has suspended €18 million in budget support to Sierra Leone, a decision that Dutch ministers are openly presenting as a warning to a government accused of sheltering one of the Netherlands’ most wanted criminals. But while The Hague celebrates the move as a victory in its campaign to secure the extradition of convicted drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, better known as 'Bolle Jos', Brussels is offering a very different explanation.

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Dutch cabinet embraces more pragmatic foreign policy towards Global South

As Europe grapples with a world increasingly shaped by geopolitical rivalry, economic fragmentation and the rise of new powers, the Dutch cabinet is making a strategic bet: the Netherlands must forge deeper partnerships across the Global South, even when interests and values do not always fully align. Exclusive reporting and

Dutch intelligence services AIVD and MIVD warn of growing Chinese cyberattacks targeting critical network devices

Chinese hackers are gaining an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the devices that sit at the gateways of Western networks, and Dutch intelligence services now warn that this trend could translate into a sharp rise in cyberespionage operations in the years ahead. The warning raises new questions about how vulnerable government

Ukraine, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia: where The Hague stands on EU enlargement

While Prime Minister Rob Jetten's cabinet supports bringing Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans closer to the EU, it is simultaneously pushing back against fast-track accession, opposing plans to weaken national vetoes in enlargement decisions and demanding far-reaching safeguards before new members can join. As Brussels

Dutch cabinet marks 7 October with different messages: Prime Minister Jetten remembers Israelis and Palestinians, while ministers Berendsen and Yeşilgöz focus on Israel

Three years after the Hamas attacks of 7 October, members of the Dutch cabinet are commemorating the day in notably different ways. While Prime Minister Rob Jetten explicitly referred to both Israeli and Palestinian victims of the conflict that followed, Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen and Defence Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz focused

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Dutch cabinet embraces more pragmatic foreign policy towards Global South

Dutch intelligence services AIVD and MIVD warn of growing Chinese cyberattacks targeting critical network devices

Ukraine, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia: where The Hague stands on EU enlargement

Dutch cabinet marks 7 October with different messages: Prime Minister Jetten remembers Israelis and Palestinians, while ministers Berendsen and Yeşilgöz focus on Israel