News

Dutch goods exports grew by 4.4 per cent in April, driven mainly by higher exports of petroleum products, machinery, and transport equipment. Imports also increased, though at a slower pace. Export conditions remain weak due to falling German industrial output and declining producer confidence.

More than half of Dutch municipalities have allowed hospitality venues to stay open later during the World Cup because of late evening kick-off times. The temporary measure will enable fans to watch the Netherlands' matches in cafés and bars.

The Dutch political parties GroenLinks and PvdA have officially merged into a single party named Progressief Nederland (PRO) following an overwhelming majority vote at a party congress in Den Bosch. This official union consolidates a partnership that began with a shared voting list in 2023, though the party has yet to decide which European parliamentary group it will join.

Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will arrive in the Netherlands early for an unusual pre-visit stay at Het Oude Loo Castle ahead of their official state visit starting Wednesday. During their private time, the imperial couple will participate in a photo opportunity and join King Willem-Alexander to watch a football match between their two nations.

Following its historic, record-breaking IPO, SpaceX surged over 19 percent on its first day of trading to reach a market value of more than $2 trillion. This investor optimism coincided with a broader stock market rally and falling oil prices, driven by news that Iran and the United States have reached a peace agreement.

Despite having similar approval rates to men at most lending institutions, female entrepreneurs in the Netherlands receive just 26 per cent of all awarded business finance because fewer women apply and those who do receive smaller average loans. According to a study by Code-V, women are granted nearly 25,000 euros less per standard business loan, a disparity that widens to an average of 750,000 euros less within the high-growth venture capital sector. This funding gap is being described as a major systemic flaw rather than a simple diversity issue, with research from ABN AMRO and McKinsey estimating that failing to fully support female-led businesses costs the Dutch economy up to 139 billion euros a year in lost growth.

The number of corporate bankruptcies in the Netherlands fell by 19 per cent year-on-year in May, with 287 companies declared insolvent compared to 353 during the same month last year. The national bankruptcy rate dropped to 7.7 failures per 100,000 businesses, down from 9.6 a year earlier, with the transport and storage sector suffering the highest relative losses at 22.6 failures. While business closures had been rising steadily up until 2024, the latest figures confirm that the national bankruptcy rate has stabilised and maintained a gradual downward trend since the autumn of 2024.

Prime Minister Rob Jetten has warned that the continuation of the war in Iran could worsen the Netherlands' economic outlook, making domestic purchasing power heavily dependent on whether the conflict ends. With the central bank predicting that the war will push the Dutch budget deficit to an unacceptable 3.3 per cent this year, breaching the EU's 3 per cent limit, Jetten noted that the government could raise taxes, cut spending, or delay investments to balance the books. However, the Cabinet will wait for updated financial figures in August before deciding on any emergency measures as they finalise the 2027 budget for its official presentation in September.