US ambassador Joe Popolo calls the Netherlands America’s top ally in Europe, but warns The Hague over trade, tech and the ICC

The United States views the Netherlands as its most important partner in Europe. Yet behind the warm words of US Ambassador in The Netherlands, Joe Popolo, lies a tougher message: Washington expects continued Dutch alignment on trade, technology and security, and is prepared to push back when Dutch policy moves in a different direction. In two interviews with NRC and Het Financieele Dagblad (FD), Popolo combined praise for the Dutch-American relationship with unusually blunt warnings about investment restrictions, criticism of European regulation of US tech companies and renewed attacks on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Read on for the full story and analysis: the signals behind the ambassador’s warnings and what they mean for Dutch policy.