Politics

Prime Minister Rob Jetten has met with ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet to discuss the future of the Dutch semiconductor industry. The talks focused on maintaining a world-class business climate and the strategic importance of the Eindhoven region.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.