House of Representatives’ member Pieter Duisenberg from the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) has proposed to stimulate academic promotions from industrial research. The Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) and the association of Dutch SMEs (MKB-Nederland)...
Last week Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte went on an economic mission to China, accompanied by a delegation of business people representing Dutch corporations. China’s presence as an economic and political power is increasing steadily. Its economic and financial potential is huge, not only in China...
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my grandfather. Exactly one hundred years ago, at the age of fourteen, he went to work in a metal factory. There were ten children at home, none with more than a primary school education. For fifty years he worked to the bone, for reasons that included being...
Last November the Court of Justice ruled in Dano that EU member states may exclude from entitlement to social assistance nationals of other member states who have arrived in their territory and who have no intentions of finding a job. While the ruling and the Court’s reasoning has triggered much...
In a short memo, published on 22 March, the Dutch Liberal Party (VVD) expressed its view on how to handle the increasing number of asylum claims in the Netherlands, and more broadly in the EU, as well as the continuously tragic events concerning refugees that occur at the external borders of the EU...
Maybe you know the book The Undutchables. It describes the Dutch and how it must be for a foreigner to immigrate to The Netherlands and be confronted with Dutch peculiarities. For a next edition a new chapter may be added with specific interest for lawyers. In The Netherlands we celebrate Kings Day...
On March 9, the European Commission has presented the 2015 Justice Scoreboard, an information tool that monitors national justice systems developed and managed by DG Justice. This year marked the third edition of the Scoreboard, which was created in 2013 with the aim to assist EU institutions and...
I lived and worked in the US for a long time, and my wife is originally from there. So I go there regularly for both business and pleasure. The differences between American and Dutch healthcare are fascinating to see, as is the debate in both countries. In the Netherlands, the last few months were...
As bills don’t pay themselves an income is required, some obtain it by working for a wage, others by starting up their own business and some are so talented that they can make an income out of their hobby. In the Weekly column ‘My Way to Make Money’ we interview a student or a university employee...
A few days ago the first chamber of the Dutch parliament finally agreed to amend the Law on study finance (Wet studiefinanciering 2000) so as to introduce a ‘social loan system’. In essence, the amendment implies that future students will no longer receive basic support (basisbeurs) in the form of a...