Business

The European Parliament has endorsed a sweeping reform of the EU’s customs union, aiming to tighten controls on the massive influx of low‑value parcels entering the bloc. The overhaul introduces new enforcement tools, harmonised sanctions, and a handling fee for all imports from outside the EU.

The Netherlands saw a slight dip in unemployment in March, signalling a cautiously improving labour market. While the number of people without work remains elevated compared to recent years, new figures show a gradual rise in employment and fewer benefit claims across most regions.

The amount of organic farmland in the Netherlands rose by 3.1% last year, bringing the total area to 86,900 hectares. While organic farming now accounts for 4.8% of all Dutch agricultural land and has grown consistently since 2015, the sector still faces a significant challenge in meeting the government’s ambitious target of 15% by 2030. On average, these organic farms are also expanding in size, reaching 45.3 hectares per holding as the industry continues to scale up.

Dutch industrial output fell by 0.7% in February compared to the previous year, with nearly three-quarters of all sectors seeing a contraction. While the machinery repair industry suffered a sharp 15% decline, other areas like machinery manufacturing saw growth, leaving overall production levels for 2024 relatively flat. Despite this monthly dip in output, business sentiment has shown signs of recovery, as producer confidence became less negative moving into March.

Ikea closed its Duiven store on Easter Monday after a damaged internet cable caused system failures. The company says the issue did not start at the store but still created major disruption. Other branches stayed open, though the warm weather may have drawn customers elsewhere.

US lawmakers have introduced the MATCH Act, a bipartisan bill designed to force allies like the Netherlands to align their export rules with strict American standards. The legislation specifically targets Dutch chipmaker ASML, aiming to block the sale and maintenance of even older "workhorse" DUV (deep ultraviolet) machines to China. By threatening to restrict the supply of vital US-made components, the bill seeks to close perceived loopholes and ensure that international partners move in lockstep with Washington to limit China’s semiconductor and AI capabilities.

The Dutch manufacturing sector faces the risk of disappearing unless it rapidly adopts robotisation and automation to counter an ageing workforce and rising labour costs. According to research institute TNO, the industry’s productivity has stalled, leaving it vulnerable to international competitors like South Korea and Germany, which use significantly more robots. TNO warns that without a national agenda to increase robot density, the Netherlands could see widespread factory closures and job losses within the next decade, shifting the country from a global producer to a dependent consumer.

Following a harsh winter that saw Dutch gas stocks plummet to a ten-year low of 4.5%, grid operator Gasunie has confirmed that replenishment efforts cautiously began this week. Despite concerns that high market prices driven by Middle Eastern conflict might deter energy firms, the first storage refills took place on Thursday. Gasunie is now monitoring progress closely to ensure stocks reach the mandatory 87% target by November, noting that the government can appoint an official filling agent to intervene if the pace of the recovery proves too slow.