News

Forum for Democracy has clarified that it does not have a blanket policy to reject candidates who win council seats through preferential votes, despite reports of friction in several Dutch municipalities. While the party maintains that any requests for candidates to step aside are based on "tailored" agreements made in advance, several successful candidates in areas like Hoogeveen and Venlo have already left the party, claiming they were pressured to hand their seats to those higher up the list. Ultimately, while the FVD spokesperson insists there is no general guideline against personal votes, the resulting disputes have seen 11 candidates enter local councils without the party's formal backing.

Dutch mortgage rates have seen their sharpest weekly rise since March last year, with 41 lenders hiking prices following recent military escalations in the Middle East. According to De Hypotheekshop, the average rate for a 10-year mortgage with a National Mortgage Guarantee now sits at 3.99 per cent, marking one of the largest interest rate jumps since 2008. While these figures remain below the 4.55 per cent peak seen in recent years, experts warn that future costs will stay closely tied to energy prices and the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

A 20-year-old man from The Hague has been sentenced to prison and mandatory psychiatric care for the online abuse of dozens of children. Following his sentence, he will undergo intensive supervision to prevent future offences.

The two main left-wing opposition parties in the Netherlands have officially merged under the new name Progressief Nederland. Led by Jesse Klaver, the new party aims to become the largest political force in the country while maintaining its focus on social justice.

European stock markets ended lower on Thursday as uncertainty over Middle East peace talks pushed investors into risk‑off mode. The AEX fell 1.3 percent, while oil prices surged sharply again, with Brent crude climbing more than 6 percent.

A surge of fake “traffic fine” emails is circulating, prompting a warning from the CJIB. The agency stresses that it never sends fines by email and urges people to ignore the digital messages, which link to fraudulent payment pages designed to steal personal information.

ising fuel and parking costs are making healthcare visits increasingly expensive for Dutch patients. The Patients’ Federation says many appointments could be handled digitally and urges healthcare providers to offer online consultations more proactively.

The European Parliament has approved part of the EU‑US trade deal but added safeguards to ensure the United States honors its commitments. MEPs fear new US import tariffs and have introduced a “safety net” that allows EU concessions to be reversed if the US fails to comply.