Great “social distancing” day trips for autumn in the Netherlands
Vacation is over, summer is just about over, school’s back in session. Yes, autumn is upon us! Though the general call to avoid crowded…
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Working from home: what are the drawbacks?
Since Covid-19 seems to be here to stay for the near future at least, a focus on the ‘new normal’ requires us to shift…
Who should pay for compulsory home quarantine?
There has been an increase in the number of reported Covid-19 infections in the Netherlands. The pandemic is seeing a resurgence not just in…
Wind turbines and birds don’t go well together
Perched on the North Sea, one resource the Netherlands has a lot of is wind. Already since the Middle Ages, while other European countries…
The importance of bees for the world
Bees are an essential animal for both the ecosystem and biodiversity conservation. Sadly, as a result of human activities, the quantity of bees and…
The cure for the Netherlands’ false sense of security is masks
In recent weeks, the coronavirus pandemic has surged in the Netherlands, with hundreds of new infections discovered daily. While the Dutch have embraced working…
After hard negotiations, a new budget for the EU
The European Union has a new budget deal. After four days of intense negotiations and lots of political posturing, European leaders in July agreed…
Racism in the Netherlands
Over the past decades, the Dutch generally considered racism a concept associated with other countries, the United States for example. For a very long…
If you’re going on holiday, make sure you travel smart
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, summer 2020 will be very different to what we’re used to. From 15 June, travel restrictions to some countries…
CTG scan for pregnant women in your own environment
Monitoring of the unborn baby at home every day with a CTG scan. It is possible for pregnant women with a medical indication who…
Outdoor terraces are open, but is it worth it?
For over a hundred days now, the coronavirus has been governing the lives of Dutch people, keeping them away from friends and family, closing…
Online banks sloppy with privacy
When the Consumers’ Association (Consumentenbond) conducted research on the online privacy of customers of banks in the Netherlands, the findings exposed that many new,…
Improved digital skills and independence
As the Netherlands is slowly emerging from the worst of its lockdown, some teachers, pupils and parents have been taking stock and looked at…
Will social distancing become the new normal?
The first wave of Covid-19 infections is behind us and the Netherlands, as many other countries, is relaxing its corona measures. Now that the…
Fraud at language schools for immigrants
Lina: Can I register for the Dutch language course? Ahmad Abo Rashed: Of course! Lina: But I can’t attend the classes… Ahmad Abo Rashed:…
Fair and equal recovery for the European economy
The global impact of Covid-19 has been, and still is at this point, far-reaching and all-consuming. However, now that the initial wave of health…
A dry summer ahead for NL
After the driest spring ever recorded, not much rain is expected this summer either, according to reports from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). Warm…
Dutch government makes new agreements for local law enforcement officers to carry weapons
Extraordinary investigation officers (boas) are officers who help the police to supervise local order and safety, such as environmental inspectors, traffic wardens or security…
€500 million extra for students and summer school programs
With the lockdown in the Netherlands, almost every age group and lifestyle in Dutch society has been affected in some way. The elderly in…
The race for an efficient vaccine to combat the Coronavirus is underway
Many laboratories around the world have been working round the clock to find an efficient vaccine to prevent the spread of the new Coronavirus….
Language friendly school
Optimist International School has taken its first steps towards becoming a member of Language Friendly Schools. What is a Language Friendly School? A Language…
Your online stop for education!
Pupils, students, teachers and parents are at home en masse because of the strict corona measures. How do you arrange education? This requires enormous…
Fighting COVID-19 with creativity
When a friend approached Fabian de Leede to see if he could help covert snorkel masks into medical masks through 3D printing, he had…
How has Mark Rutte performed during this crisis?
The novel Coronavirus or Covid-19 is by now the worst pandemic the world has faced in over half a century. After the first cases…
Vulnerable students disappearing from radar during school closures
After schools closed due to the Corona pandemic, many schools have lost contact with some of their students, as revealed by the Association of…
Schools will finally open again – children and the corona virus according to the RIVM
Around the world, governments have temporarily closed educational institutions in a coordinated effort to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to UNESCO…
Looking back at the Netherlands after Covid-19
What will the Netherlands, and the world at large, look like ‘post-corona’? Will it be business as usual, out-of-business or business 2.0? In what…
The Netherlands celebrated its first-ever King’s Day at home
Due to the measures taken amid the corona crisis, on 27 April the Netherlands celebrated king Willem-Alexander’s 53rd birthday at home. The national holiday,…
Hospitality sector struggles to survive the ‘intelligent lockdown’
On 15 March the Dutch government announced a series of regulations intended to slow the spread of Covid-19 in the Netherlands. Many businesses have…
Empty hospitals and a ‘new normal’: the effects of corona on Dutch healthcare
As the corona crisis continues, some of its effects on the Dutch healthcare system have been brought to light. Not only have there been…
The fight continues: 50Plus party in turmoil again
By now it’s a familiar sight: members of political party 50Plus fighting between themselves. On 26 April, chairman Geert Dales announced the resignation of…
The consequences of Covid-19 for the events industry
The risks of spreading Coronavirus has forced Dutch authorities to take the necessary safety precautions in ensuring public health. One of the most far-reaching…
The Netherlands aims to become a nation of food heroes
Empty supermarket shelves in recent weeks make it easy to forget that the Netherlands typically has a food waste problem. Recently released data from…
Indoor cycling: keeping fit and staying safe
As this edition of the Holland Times went to press, the prevailing advice for safe cycling in the Corona crisis was moving from outdoors…
Sport 2020: When the lights went out
Not all that long ago, sports fans were faced with difficult choices. In the February issue of the Holland Times, the headline read, “2020:…
Childcare Allowance drama
As reported earlier in the Holland Times, about 8,500 Dutch parents have been wrongfully accused of childcare allowance fraud by the Belastingdienst (Tax and…
Culture in Quarantine
The Netherlands has adopted social distancing en masse since 12 March. The situation has had, and will likely continue to have, a massive economic…
The Dutch take a gamble with corona
As the corona epidemic is sweeping the world, each affected country deals with the onslaught in its own way. Rather than coordinating and taking…
And now for some good news: the positive developments around the coronavirus
“Bad news has been overwhelming us, and it makes sense that we are all starting to feel despondent. Nevertheless, there is also good news…
What are the effects of social isolation and quarantine on people?
The COVID-19 outbreak, and its development as a pandemic throughout the last few months, has forced governments around the world to advice or enforce…
Impact of the Corona virus on the Dutch economy
As hopes for an avoidance of a pandemic scenario across Europe tumbled over the last fortnight, economists have been just as quickly scrambling to…
Amazon launches in the Dutch market
On 10 March 2020, the largest e-tailer in the world, Amazon, was officially launched in the Netherlands. This meant the final step for the…
A trip to London – planes vs. trains vs. automobiles
On 4 February the Dutch Railways (NS) made the first test trip with its new direct service from Amsterdam to London. The new direct…
Shortage of plumbers as house market is on the rise
As more houses are being built and renovated in the Netherlands, the demand for plumbers is also on the rise. House owners with leaks,…
Depoldering of the Hertogin Hedwigepolder in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen
Edition 31 January, by Seringe S.T. Touray The depoldering of the Hertogin Hedwigepolder will begin early this year, reported Omroep Zeeland in December 2019….
Mail bombs and threats sent to various businesses across the Netherlands
Edition 31 January, by Raphael Perachi Vieira In the last few weeks, several mail bombs and letters containing threats were sent to organisations in…
Maastricht University pays ransom to hackers
Edition 31 January, by Louis Gore Langton Maastricht University has reportedly been forced to pay a significant sum to a criminal cyber group after…
Immigration numbers ´too high´
Edition 31 January, by Femke van Iperen Dutch ministers want predictable immigration numbers. Others say it’s time to look at the bigger picture. This…
Changes in 2020 by the National Government
Edition 31 January, by Phoebe Potter Work and income In the field of work and income, most of the changes coming in for 2020…
Increasingly fewer ATMs in Dutch streets
Edition 27 December, by Juan Ālvarez Umbarila Fewer and fewer ATMs can be found in the streets of the Netherlands these days. The…
Reduced speed limit to ease housing woes
Edition 27 December, by Geetanjali Gupta The maximum speed limit of 130km/hour is slated to go down to 100km/hour in the Netherlands from mid-March,…
Mass layoff at Tata Steel: 1600 jobs scrapped
Edition 27 December, by Sagar Harinarayan Tata Steel Europe plans to cut 3000 jobs during an organization-wide restructuring. The company is embarking upon a…
Zero tolerance policy against racism in football stadiums
Edition 27 December, By Stephen Swai An initiative against racism in football stadiums in the Netherlands is expected to be rolled out in January…
Prohibition of bonfires in The Hague on New Year’s Eve
Edition 27 December 2019, by Priyanka SharmaThe history The tradition of bonfires at Scheveningen and Duindorp goes as far back as 200 years. In…
Salary gap between men and women still not closed
Edition 27 December, by Phoebe Potter New statistics have confirmed that women in the Netherlands are still earning less than men. In figures that…
The Netherlands has an urgent need for cops, nurses and teachers
Edition 27 December 2019, by Johannes Visser The Netherlands is facing a serious shortage of cops, nurses and teachers and things are only getting…
A small country tries to bring down its high nitrogen levels
Edition 31 October 2019, by Johannes Visser ‘Very serious national measures are needed to counter the high levels of nitrogen emissions within the Netherlands….
Farmers protest against bad press
Edition 31 October, by Stephen Swai Hundreds of farmersdrove to The Hague by tractor to protest against what they called unfair treatment by the…
Murder of Derk Wiersum also ‘an attack on the rule of law’
Edition 31 October 2019, by Seringe S.T. Touray Derk Wiersum, lawyer of crown witness Nabil B. against infamous cocaine-dealing criminal Ridouan Taghi, was murdered…
The government’s plans for 2020 as presented on Prince’s Day
Edition 31 October 2019, by Stephen Swai Relief for middle- and high-income groups The total burden on citizens will be reduced by 4.4 billion…
Three strikes, you’re out for the mayor of The Hague
Edition 31 October 2019, by Johannes Visser The city of The Hague last month lost its mayor and two aldermen in very quick succession….
Leader of the Party for the Animals (PvdD) Marianne Thieme resigns
Edition 31 October 2019. by Femke van Iperen Praising words, a royal award and a lot of speculation This September, Marianne Thieme resigned as…
Optimist international school scores great evaluation and new location
Edition 31 October 2019 Optimist International School had it’s fi rst offi cial evaluation by the Inspectorate of Education which shows the team is…
Seventh location for Zein International Childcare the Hague
Edition 31 October 2019 Childcare opens ‘The Pines’ their seventh location in The Hague region. Located on the premises of Tennis Park WW in…
Amsterdam Montessori school closure
Edition 31 October, by Femke van Iperen First victim of teacher shortage in the Netherlands? This September it was announced that an Amsterdam Montessori…
School Board spending choices contribute to national teacher shortage
Edition 31 October 2019, By Lorre Luther On 5 July, various Dutch teachers’ unions sent a letter to Arie Slob, Minister for Elementary and…
A war hero’s tragic fall from grace Marco Kroon
Edition 28 June 2019, by Johannes Visser A heroic troublemaker or decorated yet delusional blowhard? The jury is not out on the Dutch ex-commando…
Scientific expedition to the heart of Amsterdam
Edition 28 June 2019, by Nanda Jagusiak-Monteiro This summer, a group of biodiversity enthusiasts will attempt to discover new species of wildlife right in…
Big Brother is indeed watching you
Edition 28 June 2019, by Lorre Luther A Volkskrant investigation conducted earlier this year revealed that at least 60 Dutch municipalities engage in Wi-…
Care for the elderly must change
Edition 28 June, by Stephen Swai Changes in the air It seems that many Dutch people are unaware of how care for the elderly…
Warning on infrastructure
Written by Marla Thomson Warning bells are ringing again for the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management to address the status of the…
1,600 children disappeared from asylum care
Edition 28 June, by Seringe S.T. Touray While irregular migration continues to be a major topic in Europe and around the world, more than…
Antisemitism on the rise in the Netherlands
Edition 28 June 2019, by Benjamin Roberts While on 6 June 2019, European leaders stood shoulder to shoulder commemorating the 75th anniversary of the…
Pension agreement has been reached in principle
Edition 28 June 2019, by Femke van Iperen Following nine years of ‘polderen’ between the government and all relevant parties, on 4 June a…
A political landslide in the Netherlands
On March 20, the Netherlands witnessed a momentous, record-breaking and greatly influential election. A political earthquake has turned the Dutch Senate into a place…
The nicest shopping areas in NL
Edition 19 April 2019, by Bárbara Luque Rain, wind or thunder have never stopped life in the Netherlands, and let’s be honest, there is…
One million homes at risk of structural damage due to drought
Edition 19 April 2019, by Megan Janicke Groundwater in the Netherlands has dropped to extremely low levels. Now, reports of sagging and sinking homes…
Is Dutch dying in Amsterdam?
Edition 19 April 2019, by Lorre Luther Every Saturday afternoon, worshipers flock to De Krijtberg, a picturesque Catholic church in the heart of Amsterdam,…
Latest Dutch National Quality Monitor for Childcare
Edition 19 April 2019, by Femke van Iperen ‘Satisfactory to good’ The latest Dutch National Quality Monitor for Childcare report shows a positive picture…
Haga Lyceum Accused of Extremist Sympathies
Edition 19 April 2019, by Seringe S.T. Touray “Things are happening at the school which are not good for democracy and for integration,” said…
Dutch supermarkets have been testing their potential to go plastic-free.
Edition 19 April 2019, by Femke van Iperen A step in the right direction? Opinions vary. As public concern around plastic and its devastating…
Haarlem: the perfect marriage of old and new
From the moment it received city rights in 1245, Haarlem grew into one of the most important cities in Holland. Today, the city has a…
A shooting leaves a nation in shock
Edition 19 April 2019, by Johannes Visser On Monday 18 March, the Netherlands went through a day of physical and psychological terror. A man…
A new chance for the stint, soon back on the streets
Edition 19 April 2019, by Megan Jancike Made-in-Holland electric freight vehicles, known as ‘stints’, will soon make their way back to the Dutch roads….
Never a dull moment with politician Klaas Dijkhoff
Edition 8 March 2019, by Stephen Swai Regardless what you might think of him, there is a never dull moment when it comes to…
Rotterdam study: healthy lifestyle means you live six years longer
Edition 8 March 2019, by Stephen Swai According to the results of a study by the Erasmus MC hospital, published in scientific journal PLos…
Former PVV politician Joram van Klaveren converts to Islam
Edition 8 March, by Lorre Luther Joram van Klaveren, a former member of Geert Wilders’ Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) recently announced his conversion…
Online gambling will soon be legal in the Netherlands
Edition 8 March 2019, by Lisette Bosman Source: onlinecasinoground.nl Government budget for 2020 contains tax income from remote gambling Two (online) gambling bills have recently…
Srebrenica: Dutch history still in the writing
Edition 8 March, by by Johannes Visser One name hangs like a dark cloud over Dutch contemporary history, still being written: Srebrenica. It epitomizes…
‘Certainty’ promised to children seeking asylum in the Netherlands
Edition 8 March 2019, byMegan Janicke Hundreds of asylum-seeking children who were previously denied residency in the Netherlands could now be granted the right…
Is this really the best of Amsterdam?
The results are in! Big 7 Travel, the international travel media company, has announced its ultimate ‘best of’ lists for Amsterdam. The lists range…
Can the government still govern after upcoming Senate elections?
Edition 8 March 2019, by Seringe S.T. Touray Every four years, the Provincial Councils of the twelve Dutch provinces elect for the members of…
Yellow vests in action in the Netherlands
Edition 8 March, by Bárbara Luque Fuelled by the December protests in France, originally aimed at rising petrol costs, which involved tens of thousands…
Dutch students skip class for climate change
Edition 8 March 2019, by Juan Alvarez A National Student Protest for a Better Climate took place on Thursday 7 February in The Hague….
Increase of expats at Dutch-speaking schools
Edition 8 March 2019, by Bárbara Luqe Recently, municipalities have struggled to fill the educational needs of expat children in Dutch schools. Public schools,…
Social security vacations, paid for by the State
The Netherlands has a problem. Thousands of migrant workers receive unemployment benefits that they are not entitled to. Most of them are Polish seasonal…
Illegal residents of ADM yard Amsterdam forced to move after more than 20 years
Written by Phoebe Potter Illegal Conceived as a shipyard, the ADM – Amsterdamsche Drydock Company NV – has been through a vibrant history. On…
Amsterdam and Rotterdam take ‘hiss prohibition’ seriously
Written by Bárbara Luque Alanís In an attempt to make streets safer for everyone, the Netherlands is now applying legal pressure to combat street…
International train travel up
Edition 1 February, by Marla Thomson Travel by train in Europe is – not surprisingly – on the rise. Local, regional and now international…
Groningen Airport Eelde facing further problems
Written by Stephen Swai It seems that Groningen Airport Eelde, the Netherlands’ smallest passenger airfi eld, is in trouble following recent bad news. On…
Blacklisting tax havens: something about a pot and kettle
Edition 1 February 2019, by Johannes Visser The Dutch government recently published its expanded blacklist of tax-avoiding countries. Some of the countries on the…
Dutch boy band Breunion Boys wants the UK to stay in the EU
Written by Stephen Swai Whenever there is a crisis, interesting things happen. Take for example the Breunion Boys. This pro-European Union boy band has…
Converted housing. A solution to the housing shortage?
Written by Benjamin Roberts In the last couple of years, the Netherlands has been reminded again of its age-old problem. With a growing population…
Cause of mass deaths of starlings in the Hague identified
Written by Seringe S.T. Touray Autumn was in full swing in The Hague last year, the last residues of summer fading, parks filled with…
Oostvaardersplassen: tensions rise as judge gives green light for more than 1,800 red deer to be shot
Edition 1 February, by Femke van Iperen The continued tensions around the welfare of the large grazing animals inhabiting the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve reached…
Dutch climate agreement has the Greens fired up
Edition 1 February 2019, by Johannes Visser The Netherlands has a new climate agreement. There is just one problem: the green side of the…
The Dutch solar-powered car designed near Eindhoven
Edition 1 February, by Juan Alvarez Less than 20 km away from Eindhoven, in Helmond, an all- Dutch start-up is designing an electric car…
Missing person
Connor James Murphy (39 years old) living in Amsterdam is missing since January 13th in the early morning (approximately between 1 and 2 o’clock)…
Hema back in Dutch hands, thanks to Marcel Boekhoorn
Edition 28 December 2018, by Jeroen Spangenberg Marcel Boekhoorn, a Dutch billionaire, who became rich by the sale of telecom provider Telfort, announced in…
Johan Derksen: tv loudmouth stretching the boundaries of free speech
Edition 28 December 2019, by JohannesVisser A force of nature is whirling through Dutch media land. Like a proper media storm, whenever it passes…
Extreme drought holding steady into 2019
Edition 28 December, by Megan Janicke Summer days are already fading into distant memory, but the impact of those record-setting hot and dry months…
When will 50PLUS finally wise up?
Edition 28 December, by Johannes Visser Wisdom comes with age? Not when it comes to politics, it turns out. The Netherlands has a rich…
Lots of smoke and bang, but still no fireworks ban
Edition 28 December, by Johannes Visser The end of the year is nigh and the holidays are around the corner. For New Year’s Eve…
After negotiating for years, no pension deal is yet in sight
Edition 28 December 2018, by Johannes Visser Talks between employers’ organizations and workers’ unions on a new pension system have crashed, after seven years…
Dutch railways (NS) to compensate Holocaust victims
Edition 28 December, by Benjamin Roberts In late November, the director of the Dutch national railways (NS), Roger van Boxtel, announced that NS would…
Controversy erupts over burka ban
Edition 28 December, by Lorre Luther After more than 13 years of debate, theDutch government approved a limited burka ban last summer. On June…
New Year’s dive, a Dutch welcome to 2019
Edition 28 December, by Bárbara Luque How crazy do you need to be to enjoy a dive into the freezing North Sea waters in…
Dutch Design Week Eindhoven
Edition 29 November 2019, by Phoebe Potter To add to Eindhoven’s already illustrious record as a city close to the centre of the design…
Birds killed by wind turbines: time to act?
Edition 29 November 2018, by Femke van Iperen Dutch researchers are gathering data on the migratory routes of birds in order to help mitigate…
Opening of IT Campus Rotterdam
Edition 29 November 2018, by Marla Thomson On Monday, October 29, 2019, the IT Campus at Rotterdam’s RDM (Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij or Rotterdam Dry…
Will the Netherlands become Europe’s new financial centre after Brexit?
Edition 29 November 2018, by Sagar Harinarayan At the moment, Brexit is the biggest source of uncertainty in the European financial sector. In case…
A Dutch Christmas: 2018 winter events
Edition 29 November, by Bárbara Luque There’s no question the Dutch know how to keep their spirits warm in the cold winter days. In…
Two hospitals declared bankrupt in one week
Written by Stephen Swai It is the end of the road for two hospitals, MC Slotervaart and IJsselmeer Hospitals, after both were declared bankrupt…
Labor shortage is on the rise
Edition 30 September, by Stephen Swai xWith business confidence on its highest level since the end of 2008, companies in the Netherlands are struggling to…
Are ethnic minorities at a disadvantage in the labor market?
Edition 30 September, by Geetanjali Gupta Imagine dreaming of a big future with a great job and financial freedom, only to realize that it will…
Narco state: is the Netherlands the new Colombia?
Edition 30 September, by Bárbara Luque Alanís The title of world champion of drugs is not one that the Netherlands wanted. Is it fair to…
Is this the end of the tax on dividend?
The Dutch dividendbelasting (dividend tax) is about to be abolished and the country is up in arms. Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the measure…
Unvaccinated children might be refused by childcare organizations
Edition 30 September, by Juan Álvarez Umbarila An initiative bill has been proposed in parliament that would allow childcare organizations to refuse unvaccinated children…
Wilders cancels cartoon contest after uproar
Edition 30 September 2018, Johannes Visser He did it again. Eminent agitator Geert Wilders has made a big splash and upset lots of people, while…
Cabinet does not follow up on its promises to students
Edition 30 September 2018, by Marla Thomson Promises made by the government to Dutch students in 2015, when it abolished the student scholarship grant and…
‘Lawless urban jungle’
Edition 30 September 2018, by Femke van Iperen Mayor Halsema ready to tackle overcrowding in Amsterdam nightlife districts The recently-appointed Mayor of Amsterdam Femke…
Trend continues: another mayor threatened in the Netherlands
Edition 30 September 2018, by Jeroen Spangenberg The mayor of the municipality of Laarbeek in Brabant province, Frank van der Meijden, received death threats…
Trendy accommodations
Edition 30 September, by Phoebe Potter With the wealth of interesting and varied locations for events on offer in the Netherlands, wading through these…
Air France-KLM Group: bad marriage or rough patch?
Edition 30 October 2018. by Benjamin B. Roberts In today’s aviation industry, it’s a doggy-dog world. With the budget airline Ryanair, a one-way ticket…
Royalty and the UN, the two phases of Queen Máxima
Edition 30 October 2018, by Bárbara Luque Alanís Queen Máxima has been working a side job for several years now. Since 2009, apart from…
Mark Rutte’s speech at the UN General Assembly
Edition 30 October 2018, by Juan Álvarez Umbarila Last September, the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations took place in New York. Like…
Eligibility period for the 30% tax rule decreased from eight to five years
Edition 30 October 2018, by Lorre Luther On Prinsjesdag 2018, the Dutch government announced an important change in the duration of the 30% tax…
Ghandi March marked International Day of Non-Violence in The Hague
Edition 30 October 2018, by Nanda Jagusiak-Monteiro in cooperation with the Indian Embassy Many hundreds of different nationalities and ages including over 20 Ambassadors…
Webshops are poorly accessible for the blind and visually impaired
Edition 30 October 2018, by Phoebe Potter A major new study commissioned by the Dutch Institute for Human Rights has uncovered major flaws in…
Large-scale attack by terrorists foiled
Edition 30 October 2018, by Sagar Harinarayan On Thursday 4 October, seven men were detained by police in Arnhem and Weert on suspicion of…
Ryanair temporarily closes its Eindhoven Airport base
Edition 30 October 2018, by Marla Thomson The Irish budget airline Ryanair announced on October 1 that it would be closing its base at…
The Netherlands is leading the way in artificial intelligence
Edition 30 October 2018, by Anastasiia Myronenko It has become an essential part of our everyday life. It makes everything easier, faster, more efficient….
Refugees in front of the classroom
Edition 30 October 2018, by Lorre Luthe Last month, fifteen highly-educated refugees from Syria, Uzbekistan, Sudan and elsewhere found themselves back in the classroom….
Higher education in the Netherlands
Edition 30 October 2018, by Femke van Iperen Great possibilities for expats wishing to further their education Known for being the first non-English-speaking country…
Growing addiction to painkiller Oxycodone
Edition 30 August 2018, by Anastasiia Myronenko One of the most powerful existing painkillers, Oxycodone (also known as OxyContin or Oxynorm), was introduced to…
Dutch hospitals stop trials of Viagra as remedy for growth delay in unborn babies
Edition 30 August 2018, by Bárbara Luque Alanís On Monday July 23, the Amsterdam hospital UMC, along with nine other Dutch hospitals, immediately stopped…
Wanna get in shape? Do it yourself or with some professional guidance
Edition 30 August 2018, by Jeroen Spangenberg Getting in shape with professional guidance might be a better idea than trying to lose weight on…
International Day of Yoga on June 17
Edition 30 August 2018, by Nanda Jagusiak-Monteiro In collaboration with the Indian Embassy, The Hague One day wellness festival concludes with soul shanti concert…
Regional shortages of general practitioners threaten healthcare
Edition 30 August, by Lorre Luther After Wilko Siderius moved from Beekbergen to Leeuwarden early in 2018, he attempted to find a local family…
Doctor gets reprimand for performing euthanasia on 74-year-old woman
Edition 30 August 2018, by Phoebe Potter A nursing home doctor who performed euthanasia on an incapacitated 74-year-old woman with dementia has been reprimanded…
Loans for making houses sustainable hard to get
Edition 30 August, by Stephen Swai According to a study by Vereniging Eigen Huis (VEH), loans for homeowners to make their houses more sustainable…
Dutch primary school pupils face cancelled classes in new school year
Edition 30 August, by Femke van Iperen Primary school pupils in the Netherlands are facing a shortage of nearly 1300 teachers in the new…
EBS buses will drive in Haaglanden from 2019
Edition 30 August 2018, by Stephen Swai EBS has won the concession to provide public bus transport for the Haaglanden area, from 25 August…
A greenhorn mayor for all Amsterdammers
Edition 30 August 2018, by Johannes Visser Amsterdam has a new mayor. She is the Dutch capital’s first female mayor, and the first from…
North-South metro line opens
Edition 30 August 2018, by Phoebe Potter With all due pomp and celebration for a metro line that has taken more years and more…
Climate change creates warmer summers in the Netherlands
Edition 30 August 2018, by Jeroen Spangenberg Globally the temperature is rising, but the Netherlands has far outpaced the global trend at an alarming…
Survival: From Zambia to Holland
Warning: this article may contain triggers for victims of physical and sexual violence. Reader discretion is advised. Edition 29 May 2018, by Michelle Havard…
Partly due to expats, housing prices soar in The Netherlands
Edition 29 May 2018, by Seringe S.T. Touray Business Insider puts the Netherlands in the top ten out of nineteen hottest housing markets in…
Discrimination figures at peak in 2017
Edition 29 May 2018, by Anastasiia Myronenko Equality and tolerance, highly discussed in the media and society, are still concepts that require a lot…
Willem Alexander’s first five years
Written by Benjamin Roberts Five years ago, when the Dutch Crown Prince, Willem Alexander ascended the Dutch throne, he became the first king in…
Dutch users become leaders on Facebook hate messages
Edition 29 May 2018, by Bárbara Luque The Netherlands has recently acquired a doubtful reputation on Facebook thanks to the numerous messages filled with…
New natural world, or hell on earth?
Written by Femke van Iperen No consensus on ‘Oostvaardersplassen´ When the area of the Oostvaardersplassen was created in 1968, and its first large grazers…
Still no clarity about reason to elimate dividend tax
Edition 29 May 2018, by Marla Thomson Going back to the weeks and months of the formation of the current Dutch government, the discussion…
Van Ark suggests disabled individuals work for less than minimum wage
Edition 29 May 2018, by Lorre Luther On April 26, 2018, the Dutch House of Representatives debated a proposal that would allow employers to…
Groningen to terminate gas production
Edition 29 May 2018, by Phoebe Potter For Groningers it has been a long time coming. Eric Wiebes’ phone call to Eelco Eikenaar at…
Childcare in the Netherlands
Edition 26 April 2018, by Anastasiia Myronenko Beyond any doubt, childcare has been a highly discussed topic in the Dutch society and Dutch politics…
A guide to shopping in the Netherlands’ expat hubs
Edition 26 April 2018, by Phoebe Dodds Unlike its neighbour Germany, in the past few years the Netherlands has embraced consumers’ desire for a…
Greyston Bakery has announced plans to open a new location in Amsterdam
Edition 26 April 2018, by Tiffany R. Jansen The purpose of the new facility is two-fold: to cater to the needs of Ben &…
Don’t turn parents into judicial parties
Edition 26 April 2018, by Irene Kroezen, coordinator Mediation Bureau. In Europe and worldwide we are counting more and more international relationships. This is…
Changes in Dutch defence budget
Edition 26 April 2018, by Hendrik Ike The Dutch coalition government has agreed to inject an extra 1.5 billion euros into the national defence…
Mourning and celebrations across the country this Liberation Day
Edition 26 April 2018, by Max Oprey Sombre memorials and joyous celebrations will once again sweep the Netherlands across May 4 & 5 as…
A letter of thanks from Canada
Edition 26 April 2018, by Nadine Bujold I wanted to write about my grandfather Florian Patrick Pattenaude who went by the name of Pat…
Dutch home care suffers shortage in staff
Edition 26 April 2018, by Bárbara Luque In the last years the Netherlands has suffered from an acute shortage of district nurses, jeopardizing home…
Expertise centre for endometriosis in HMC Bronovo
Edition 26 April 2018, by Nanda Jagusiak Her majesty Queen Máxima opened the expertise centre for endometriosis in balance in HMC Bronovo On Thursday…
Local parties win big in elections
Edition 26 April 2018, by Johannes Visser On March 21, a little over half of the Dutch electorate took to the polls to vote…
Dutch government appeals Urgenda’s climate lawsuit
Edition 28 June 2018, by Stephen Swai The Dutch government has appealed against the decision of The Hague District Court on the climate case…
Can you pronounce Scheveningen?
Edition 28 June 2018, by Johannes Visser For those of you non-Dutch readers trying to learn the Dutch language, God bless and good luck….
Tailored Education: opinions remain divided
Edition 28 June 2018, by Femke van Ieperen Equality and inclusion have traditionally played a key role in the Dutch educational system. It is…
High costs of the dutch passport abroad
Edition 28 June 2018, by Anastasiia Myronenko For immigrants, life often presents a number of intricate situations. The rules are often complicated and can…
Murderer of Anne Faber gets 28 years
Edition 28 June 2018, by Benjamin B. Roberts The loss of a child is the worse grief a person can suffer. However, when the…
Pim Fortuyn’s murderer no longer required to report to Parole Office
Edition 28 June 2018, by Lorre Luther In the last week of May, a judge ruled Volkert van der Graaf, the man who shot…
Ecological armageddon – disappearing insects threaten the Netherlands
Edition 28 June 2018, by Geetanjali Gupta It is righty said that “if all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate, but if…
Explosive growth in train passengers expected for the coming years
Edition 28 June 2018, byJuan Álvarez Umbarila The Dutch railway network is already one of the busiest in the world. Yet with a booming…
Dutch festivalgoers hungry for vegetarian food trend
Edition 28 June 2018, by Max Opray Vegetarian food is the next big thing at Dutch festivals, with major events offering more and more…
The Netherlands to go completely gas-free in the future
Edition 28 June 2018, by Phoebe Potter For many, the decision taken by the government at the end of March to stop extracting natural…
Paradiso, Amsterdam’s temple of pop culture turns 50
By Benjamin B. Roberts If the 1960s Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll generation, Flower Power, and counter culture movement could all be rolled…
Netflix obliged to offer more Dutch productions
Edition 22 March 2018, written by Sagar With its massive successes in the past few years, Netflix has become the leading online television network,…
A history of Dutch criminal Willem Holleeder
Edition 22 March, by Hendrik Ike Willem Holleeder is one of the Netherlands most notorious criminals, having earned a national, and indeed international profile…
Smoking room ban angers the horeca industry
Written by By Phoebe Dodds When the smoking ban came into place in the Netherlands almost ten years ago, the government offered an alternative…
The Passion 2018: “I see you”
Edition 22 March 2018, by Femke van Iperen Diversity and resilience in the Bijlmer The eighth edition of The Passion will take place on…
Opening of the Lelystad Airport delayed until 2020
Edition 22 March 2018, by Stephen Swai The opening of the Lelystad Airport has been delayed from April 2019 until sometime in 2020. The…
Suspects will soon be obligated to listen to their victims in court
Edition 22 March 2018, by Bárbara Luque On February 22, European Day of the Victim, the Minister for Legal Protection Sander Dekker announced new…
Dutch parliament approves abolition referendum
Edition 22 March, by Marla Thomson On February 28, the Lower House of the Dutch parliament voted 76 to 69 to abolish the direct…
Did the Netherlands recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide?
Editioin 22 March 2018, by Juan Álvarez Umbarila Well, yes and no. Last February 22nd, the House of representatives (the lower house of the…
Political scandals index: VVD again on top
Edition 22 March 2018, by Johannes Visser Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has a problem on his hands. His liberal VVD (People’s Party for…
Cystic Fibrosis finally reimbursed
Edition 28 December 2017, by Anastasiia Myronenko After long and challenging negotiations between the manufacturer and the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport,…
Online Gaming: a support system for HIV research?
Edition 28 December, by Benjamin B. Roberts In 2011 an amazing breakthrough was made in HIV research. After a new problem solving game was…
The hottest fitness trends in the Netherlands
Edition 28 December 2017, by Phoebe Dodds New year, new you, right? If you’re like most people, your new years resolutions will include a…
Reality of mental health
Edition 28 December 2017, by Johannes Visser One in four people in the Netherlands suffers from a brain disorder. To combat this ‘epidemic’, about…
Permanent contracts on the rise due to scarcity of employees
Edition 28 December 2017, by Stephen Swai With the scarcity of employees in the job market and improved economy, many employers are giving permanent…
Guilty verdict for Netherlands’ largest cannabis cafe – but no punishment
Edition 28 December, by Max Opray The owner of a Terneuzen cannabis business that was once the biggest in the Netherlands has been convicted…
Schiphol Airport experimented with online appointment booking for security screening
Edition 28 December, by Lorre Luther In the last months of 2017 a limited number of passengers flying out of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport had…
Tedx event The British School in The Netherlands
Edition 28 December 2018 The British School in The Netherlands hosted its first ever Tedx event and it certainly was a day full of…
Registration now mandatory for childcare visitors
Edition 28 December, by Hendrik Ike Last month the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment announced that childcare centres will have to register,…
Fear the bee, not the terrorist
Edition 28 December, by Johannes Visser The Dutch are world champions in complaining about all that is not right, as well as finding solutions…
New publication reveals discrimination within the Dutch national police
Edition 28 December, by Benjamin B. Roberts In the Netherlands, the Dutch national police force is not a mirror image of Dutch society: 22%…
Dutch food festivals in 2018
Edition 26 January 2018, by juan Álvarez Umbarila A commonplace amongst expats in the Netherlands is that Dutch food is neither particularly diverse nor…
Dutch company develops hydrogen solution for Tesla’s electric vehicle
Edition 26 January, by Benjamin B. Roberts Whoever thought about purchasing a Tesla and was only put off by the short travel radius of only…
Dutch take home pay increases for most workers
Written by By Lorre Luther The first paycheck of 2018 brought welcome news for most employees in the Netherlands— more take home pay. The…
Take a seat: The Netherlands in the 2018 UN Security Council
Edition 26 January, by Marla Thomson January 1 of this year saw The Netherlands take its seat at the 2018 session of the United…
Empty AZC’s cost Dutch society 250 million euros
Edition 26 January, by Stephen Swai Following the falling number of asylum seekers,The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) is losing…
Serious injuries caused by fireworks in 2017
Edition 26 January 2017, Anastasiia Myronenko Anyone who has ever been in the Netherlands for New Year’s Eve (Oud en Nieuw) has experienced the…
Companies with ‘Royal’ in their name must watch out for name change
Edition 26 January, by Phoebe Potter Permission from King needed Following a definitive court case in The Hague, companies using the word ‘Royal’ in…
Dutch bus drivers strike in search of better labor agreements
Edition 26 January 2018, by Bárbara Luque On Thursday January 4, drivers from regional carriers around The Netherlands took a stand against their established…
Crown prince with a dark side
Edition 26 January 2018, by Johannes Visser The Hague – Political newcomer Thiery Baudet has been crowned Dutch Politician of the Year 2017. The controversial…
Winter events for the 2017-2018 season
Edition 30 November 2017, by Juan Álvarez Umbarila Winter has begun. Warm, bright days are now far behind us. In addition to cold temperatures…
Why avoid night shifts?
Edition 30 November 2018, by Sagar Harinarayan Shift work is very common in jobs based in factories and laboratories. If a manufacturing process in…
Healthcare plans of Rutte III cabinet
Edition 30 November 2017, by Stephan Swai Finally, the Third Rutte Cabinet has rolled out its healthcare plan. The plan, which touches on a…
Creation of new Rutte III cabinet
Edition 30 November 2017, by Marla Thomson After 7 months of meetings, negotiations and compromising the new Dutch Government was finalized on 26 October…
Towards self-driving trucks
Written by Sagar Harinayan DAF has been selected by the UK’s Department of Transport and Highways England, to participate in a two-year truck platooning…
Dairy industry may take a hit
Edition 28 September, by Sagar Harinayan The dairy industry has always been a major contributor to the flourishing Dutch economy. Large numbers of livestock are…
Urban mobility in Dutch cities is about to change drastically: and for the better!
Edition 28 September 2017, by Benjamin Roberts Last month at the grand opening of Birò’s new showroom, Pex Langenberg, Rotterdam’s municipal council member for mobility,…
The short Dutch working week – as good as it seems?
Edition 28 September 2017, by Phoebe Dodds Here in Holland, citizens are no strangers to hearing about how lucky they are, from the standard…
Breaking records at the Binnenhof
Edition 28 September, by Johannes Visser Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte is a man who likes to pride himself on breaking records at record-breaking…
Registered partnerships rise in popularity
Edition 28 September, byLorre Luther Dutch couples are increasingly turning to registered partnerships when they decide to make their relationship official. In 2016, almost…
Public broadcaster pulls ‘Jesse’ documentary amid questions of objectivity
Edition 28 September, by Storm Gibbons Dutch public broadcaster BNNVARA has decided not to air a documentary on Groenlinks party leader, Jesse Klaver. The documentary,…
Blame game: Egg crisis impact becomes apparent all over Europe
Edition 28 September 2017, by Jeroen Spangenberg This summer news got out that many eggs in the Netherlands contained fi pronil. The scandal is…
New government goes on show
Edition 26 October 2017, by Bárbara Luque The Netherlands have a new government with a whopping sixteen new ministers of state. About five of…
Rotterdam’s new Botlek bridge reaches an unwelcome milestone
Edition 26 October, by Lorre Luther On September 29th of this year, the Botlek bridge near Spijkenisse malfunctioned for the 100th time. Around six o’clock…
The problem to find housing as an international student
Edition 26 October 2017, by Bárbara Luque On October 5, the National Monitor of Student Housing (Landelijke Monitor Studentenhuisvestiging 2017) reported the shortage of…
Departure from Defence
Edition 26 October, by Johannes Visser “I have to step up, stepping down won’t fix anything.” These were the words of Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, fi ve…
On 4 October 2017 Eurojust opened a brand new building in The Hague
Nanda Jagusiak-Monteiro interviews the President of EUROJUST, Mrs. Michèle Coninsx In addition to her role of President of Eurojust, Ms. Coninsx is National Member…
Charity boom
Edition 5 September 2017, by Sagar Harinarayan Over the past two years, the Dutch economy has fl ourished. According to RaboResearch, the gross domestic product…
Psychiatric healthcare in the The Netherlands: a hidden crisis
Edition 5 September 2017, by Phoebe Dodds The Netherlands enjoys a good reputation internationally when it comes to healthcare: the country is often favourably compared…
City Swim Amsterdam on behalf of ALS
Edition 5 September, by Jeroen Spangenberg The sixth edition of the Amsterdam City Swim will take place on September 3rd. – raising money once again…
Dutch doctors skeptical of Philip Morris’ cigarette replacement
\ Edition 5 September 2017, by Storm Gibbons Philip Morris International (PMI), the largest tobacco company outside of China, launched their controversial IQOS ‘heat stick’…
Tall ship B.A.P. “Unión” from Peru at the port of Rotterdam
Edition 5 September, by Nanda Jagusiak-Monteiro On Tuesday, 8 August the Peruvian Sail Training Ship, the “Buque Armada Perunana Unión“ arrived at the Port of…
A look at the rise in gender neutral language in the Netherlands and beyond
Edition 5 September, by Hanna Fillingham Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, GVB and the NS are all now using gender neutral language Last month, the NS announced…
Groningen: The first smoke-free city in the Netherlands
Edition 5 September 2017, by Benjamin Roberts In the seventeenth century, English tourists visiting the Dutch Republic complained that the country stank like tobacco. Historically,…
Hard to find housing for expats in The Netherlands
Edition 18 May 2017, by Hanna Fillingham The Holland Times looks at the current housing problem in The Netherlands and speaks to young professionals…
Waterfront fraud scandal
Edition 18 May, by Peter Sharpless A year on from the shocking revelation that the tenants of the Waterfront Stage in Rotterdam were suspected…
Push back on Amsterdam’s beer bikes
Edition 18 May 2017, by Cathy Leung The expected ban on beer bikes from the centre of Amsterdam has been pushed back to 1st…
Feeling the heat but still riding free
Edition 18 May 2017, by Johannes Visser Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs) may soon be out of town and out of sight. At stake is…
A crackling game of give and take
Edition 18 May 2017, by Johannes Visser No white smoke has yet been detected over Binnenhof, the center of power in Dutch politics in…
Proposed law aims to modernize communications protections
Edition 18 May 2017, by Megan Yanicke There’s a push in Dutch Parliament to bring communications protections up to date with the way most…
The Rotterdamse Daken Dagen (Rotterdam Rooftop Days)
Edition 18 May 2017, by Jeroen Spangenberg Rotterdam has proven its international standing due to its outstanding architecture such as the Erasmus bridge, the…
We do not speak Americano, but we speak Dutch
Edition 20 June 2017, by Jeroen Spangenberg The low lands, Pay-Bas, the country with dikes and dams, the country between England, France and Germany,…
Predicting crime using big data
Edition 20 June 2017, by Sagar Harinarayan Imagine: A police officer is on patrol duty. She is driving in a shady neighbourhood, with small…
Truckloads stolen significantly more often
Edition 20 June 2017, by Manasa Bandaru The number of cargo thefts from trucks in the past year increased significantly in the Netherlands….
A New Type of Baby Boomers on the Rise
Edition 20 June 2017, by Benjamin B. Roberts When demographers and sociologists speak about the growing numbers of Baby Boomers, we are inclined to…
Chaos at Schiphol: queues, missed flights, and millions of angry passengers
Edition 20June 2017, by Phoebe Dodds Amsterdam is known as a must-see destination to visit before you die, but the flip side of this…
Entrepreneurs eye marijuana for growing business
Edition 20 June 2017, by Megan Yanicke A group of entrepreneurs are jumping on a potential new market in the Netherlands: large scale cannabis…
Child sex abuse at Dutch football clubs: an investigation is opened
Edition 20 June 2017, by Peter Sharples Reports of child sexual abuse in Dutch football clubs keep rising. So far, four clubs are implicated,…
Reforming the fiscal service a taxing affair
Edition 20 June 2017, by Johannes Visser It’s not easy being a tax-man in the Netherlands service a taxing affair these days. It’s one…