News

The latest NVM Open House Day drew 52,000 visitors, showing a clear rise in interest compared with previous editions. Nearly 9,000 homes opened their doors, with major cities leading participation and Amsterdam recording the highest average asking prices. The NVM says supply is growing, although the market remains firmly priced.

A few hundred people gathered in The Hague on Saturday to call for diplomacy in the Iran conflict. The organisers want the Dutch government to take a clearer stance and push for an immediate halt to attacks. Nearby, a separate group marked the birthday of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

Stocks in Amsterdam fell for a second day as tensions in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment, while oil prices continued to climb. Concerns over supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz added to market pressure. Meanwhile, merger talks in the drinks industry lifted shares in Paris.

Commuters should prepare for overnight closures on the N2 bypass at the end of March. The works, which focus on installing new safety barriers near the High Tech Campus, will involve several slip road closures and signposted diversions.

Prime Minister Rob Jetten has rejected calls to delay government spending on security and innovation, arguing that global instability makes these long-term investments more critical than ever. Despite soaring fuel prices and mounting pressure to provide immediate financial relief to households, the latest Spring Memorandum reveals that the Cabinet has almost no fiscal breathing room left. Jetten warned that halting current projects to fund short-term aid would be a mistake, leaving the government to navigate a difficult balancing act between its ambitious coalition goals and the urgent needs of struggling families.

The Dutch Cabinet has approved a new bill granting police expanded powers to collect and monitor personal data from public social media accounts to prevent public order disturbances. Minister David van Weel argued the legislation "brings the police into the 21st century," pointing to recent violent riots at the Malieveld as evidence that authorities need better tools to track online-organised unrest. While current rules only allow officers to view public information, the new law will permit the formal extraction and use of this data; however, the powers do not yet extend to private or closed groups, though future plans to include them are already under consideration.

Royal FloraHolland remains on track for a profitable year, reporting that conflict in the Middle East has had little impact on its flower imports from Africa. Despite global "turbulence," the world’s largest floral marketplace saw profits climb to €12 million last year, as higher plant prices and lower wage costs successfully offset a dip in sales volumes. While interim CEO David van Mechelen warns of a challenging year ahead, the company is shielding itself from market volatility through fixed energy contracts and new sustainability projects at its Aalsmeer site.

The online furniture retailer Fonq has officially been declared bankrupt after failing to secure the investment needed to achieve long-term profitability. While administrators are currently exploring a potential rescue deal for the company and its sister brand, Naduvi, approximately 100 employees now face redundancy. Although both websites remain online for the time being, the checkout functions have been disabled, leaving the future of the business and its outstanding customer orders hanging in the balance.