From DutchNews.nl

  • Buying a house in the Netherlands: the absolute beginner’s guide

    Fed up with paying high rent? Looking for a new place to move into with your partner? Or planning to put down real roots in the Netherlands? It might be time to think about buying a home. But what will it cost? Here’s a rundown of the financial side of buying a house in the Netherlands. Can I get a mortgage as an expat? Yes, you can. It is easiest if you have a permanent contract but there are options

  • Recording lawyer and prisoner meetings would be unconstitutional

    The highest Dutch legal authority, the Council of State, has shredded parliament’s plans to record interviews between lawyers and people serving time in high security prisons, saying it would conflict with the constitution and the European human rights treaty. Justice minister Franc Weerwind had wanted to sanction visual recordings of meetings between high security prisoners and lawyers following claims that some members of the legal team had been passing on messages to the outside world. But...

  • Turkey backs Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte for Nato top job

    Turkey is backing outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte as new Nato chief, Dutch media reported on Monday, citing both Turkish and Nato sources. Rutte was in Turkey on Friday to meet prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and said the talks had been “extremely positive”. Hungary, Slovakia and Romania have not yet made their preferences clear and Rutte will need the support of all 32 Nato members to get the top job. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has put himself forward

  • Robin van Persie heads to Heerenveen as head coach: AD

    Former Dutch international Robin van Persie has signed a two-year deal as head coach with Eredivisie side Heerenveen, according to the AD and local paper Leeuwarder Courant. Van Persie, 40, will succeed Kees van Wonderen who announced his departure in March, the media outlets said. He is currently head youth coach at Rotterdam club Feyenoord. Van Persie stopped playing the game professionally in 2019. He has 102 caps for the Netherlands and has 50 goals for Oranje, making him the all-time

  • Joost Klein heads for Sweden and Eurovision "with 20 suitcases"

    Dutch Eurovision hopeful Joost Klein set off for Sweden on Monday with “20 suitcases” and a big dose of self-confidence. Klein, currently third placed in the list of bookies’ favourites, told the AD that he is “my own biggest competitor”, as he headed for Malmö for rehearsals ahead of next week’s semi-finals. Klein’s first rehearsal on the song festival stage is on Tuesday and so far he has been tight-lipped about the performance. “You don’t film when a magician rehearses either,

  • Philips reaches US sleep apnea apparatus deal for €1 billion

    Medical equipment maker Philips has reached a $1.1 billion out-of-court settlement in the US to pay claims related to its sleep apnea apparatus. The payments will go to patients who said they had been made ill by using the equipment or that they may face health problems in future. Philips made details of the agreement public on Monday, at the presentation of its first quarter figures. “Philips and Philips Respironics do not admit any fault or liability, or that any injuries were caused

  • Illegal employment earns dodgy firms more than the fines

    Social affairs ministry inspectors have warned parliament that the fines they can levy on employers who use non-EU workers without the proper permits are no longer high enough to have an impact. The size of the fines is currently maximised at €8,000 per infringement, a sum which has not increased since 2005. If the fines had risen in line with inflation, they would now be €15,000, the inspectors say. Illegal employment has “financial advantages” even if the employer is fined.

  • Fire experts warn about risk of outdated building regulations

    New, fast methods of construction to offset the shortage of housing, and energy efficiency measures such as wall cladding, require a rethink of building regulations, public safety institute NIPV and the fire brigade said on Monday. If the risks are not properly analysed, when so much is being done and so quickly, there is a real risk that people could die, the NIPV said in a new report. “In particular, vulnerable people run risks in this sort of housing,’ fire expert Lieuwe de Witte

  • Train travellers warned of delays due to track maintenance

    Train users will face several problems in the coming days as essential track maintenance takes place to coincide with the May school closures. Between Monday and Wednesday there are no NS trains to and from Zwolle and commuters using Amsterdam’s main railway station will also experience cancellations and delays. There are no services between Amsterdam Centraal Station and Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena because of work on the tracks and points, and this will also affect services to and from Utrecht....

  • People in NL are retiring later, average age now approaches 66

    The average age at which people in the Netherlands are retiring has increased to 65 years and 11 months, three months up on 2022, national statistics agency CBS said on Monday. Last year, 86,000 people officially retired. The average age at which people stop work has been increasing steadily since 2013 when the state pension age began increasing. Last year, 75% had reached the age of 65 but in 2013 43% were 65 or older and in 2003 just 14%. Early retirement

  • Police end demonstration on Amsterdam ring road

    The police have ended a demonstration by climate protestors on the A10 Amsterdam ring road after a group of around 90 climbed on to the highway to stop traffic. Campaign group Extinction Rebellion had called for the demonstration at midday on Saturday, saying they would act unless king Willem-Alexander spoke out against the use of fossil fuels. The demonstration had been banned by Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema but went ahead anyway. Police removed the last of the demonstrators around 2pm.

  • Maxima remains the most popular royal, NOS survey shows

    Public confidence in king Willem-Alexander has not recovered following the dip it took during the coronavirus after a series of high profile blunders by the monarch. However, research shows it has now stabilised, broadcaster NOS said on Saturday. NOS publishes an update on the royals’ popularity every King’s Day, when Willem-Alexander celebrates his birthday. This year the family are in Emmen. In general, the Dutch give the king an average mark of 6.6 out of 10, in line with last