News

Dutch water boards spent millions of euros on measures to deal with last summer’s severe drought. Despite the arrival of autumn, some restrictions and emergency measures remain in place as water managers work to restore the water system ahead of 2027.

The SCP says the government should take a broader approach to supporting vulnerable people, looking beyond financial problems to social and health issues. It proposes permanent neighbourhood connectors and closer contact between civil servants and residents, while calling for existing initiatives to become part of structural policy.

De Nederlandsche Bank has renewed its call to abolish mortgage interest tax relief, with Director Olaf Sleijpen arguing that property market cooling does not alter the fundamental economic case for scrapping the policy. Speaking at the University of Amsterdam, Sleijpen stressed that the long-standing tax break artificially inflates house prices and unfairly favours homeowners over renters, adding that the Dutch economy could comfortably handle a drop in property values and lamenting a missed opportunity to phase out the relief when interest rates were ultra-low.

The Amsterdam AEX index closed Friday at a new record high of 1,130.95 points, led by a 5.6 per cent surge in ArcelorMittal following a broker upgrade from UBS. Gains across professional publishers and broader European bourses helped offset weakness in semiconductor stocks ASML, ASMI, and Besi—which slipped up to 1.8 per cent following reports of weaker-than-expected OpenAI revenue—while troubled electric bus manufacturer Ebusco crashed 16.5 per cent over ongoing going-concern fears.

Dutch industrial output grew by 12 per cent year-on-year in August, marking its fastest pace of expansion in over four years behind a global boom in artificial intelligence technology. Driven by strong global demand for ASML's advanced chipmaking machinery, the country's equipment manufacturing sector jumped by over 45 per cent, boosting overall factory production and pushing Dutch producer confidence to a multi-year high despite a 4 per cent contraction in the chemical industry.

Regional bus and train staff across the Netherlands will strike one day a week until Christmas following the breakdown of national collective bargaining talks over workload, pay, and retirement schemes. The nationwide industrial action, led by unions FNV and CNV, begins on Wednesday and will affect around 13,000 workers—primarily bus drivers for operators such as Arriva, EBS, Qbuzz, and Keolis. Strike dates will be announced on short notice to prevent employers from arranging emergency timetables, leaving passengers facing regular weekly disruptions through the autumn.

Dutch petrol prices are sitting just 0.2 euro cents off their record high. If recent increases continue, petrol could become more expensive than ever...

Amsterdam-listed chipmakers ASML, ASMI, and Besi fell up to 1 per cent on Friday following reports that OpenAI's revenue missed investor expectations, reigniting valuation fears across the AI sector. Despite the tech drag, broader European markets held firm, with the AEX rising 0.5 per cent, even as falling oil prices pulled Shell down 1.4 per cent and electric bus manufacturer Ebusco plummeted 14.5 per cent amid severe liquidity warnings.