Middle East
After fifteen years of war, international isolation and a long‑closed embassy, relations between the Netherlands and Syria appear to be cautiously improving. Since the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024 and the formation of a Syrian transitional government, Europe - and also the Netherlands - have been exploring new
China
With the appointment of Caspar Veldkamp as the new EU ambassador to China, Brussels gains an envoy with deep roots in The Hague and a politically charged track record. The former Dutch minister of foreign affairs will take up one of Europe’s most demanding diplomatic posts this summer: the
Europe & EU
The Dutch government is set to change the way border controls are carried out at the frontiers with Belgium and Germany. Existing temporary internal border checks will be extended once more, until no later than 30 September 2026, while the cabinet simultaneously prepares a shift towards a more permanent and
Europe & EU
What is The Hague doing to counter Brussels’ budget plans? And where exactly does the Netherlands draw the line? Both Prime Minister Jetten and Finance Minister Heinen have spoken out strongly in recent weeks against a substantially higher EU-budget.
Ukraine
The Netherlands is donating twenty prison transport buses to Ukraine’s prison service this year, according to a press statement by Minister for Legal Protection and Prisons, Claudia van Bruggen. She formally handed over the first four vehicles in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. Ukraine’s prison system has
NATO & Defense
The Dutch ministers of Infrastructure and Water Management and of Justice and Security are preparing fast‑track legislation to enable tougher action against so‑called falsely flagged vessels. Why? And what is happening in other European countries?
China
A number of Dutch ministers are planning several working visits to China in the coming months. Why now? What is the relationship between China and the Netherlands? And what is happening elsewhere in Europe?
NATO & Defense
The Netherlands will not extend its maritime contribution to security in the eastern Mediterranean. The air-defense and command frigate HNLMS Evertsen will return home in early May. Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz and Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen informed the House of Representatives in a letter that the deployment will not
United States & Canada
For months, the Dutch House of Representatives has been trying to prevent the company behind DigiD from ending up in American hands, but so far without success. Solvinity, the IT company that provides the infrastructure on which DigiD operates, may be taken over by the US tech firm Kyndryl. The
Middle East
The Dutch cabinet says it currently has no legal or practical means to regulate or ban the export of dogs to Israel, writes the cabinet in a letter to the House of Representatives addressing the implementation of a parliamentary resolution. Dogs exported from the Netherlands could be used in Israel
Europe & EU
The Dutch cabinet wants to become more “strategically European”, even to the point of considering European nuclear weapons in cooperation with France. Russia is seen as the main threat. The Netherlands aims to maintain good relations with the US, while also becoming less dependent on its long‑standing and trusted
Dutch politics
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten has voiced his support for Spain amid a dispute over NATO’s direction and the role of critical allies. According to Jetten, it is “absolutely clear” to all EU leaders that Spain will remain a full member of the military alliance. “And it will remain