Study: Ukrainians are more positive about EU aid than EU citizens themselves

A large-scale survey in Ukraine and 14 other European countries also shows that the Netherlands is one of the European countries where opinions on Ukraine are highly polarised. This polarisation in countries such as the Netherlands, coupled with differences between European countries, poses a problem when it comes to finding a common direction, for example, … Read more

Loyalty and the new political reality

northAfter a very unusual formation that resulted in a somewhat unusual government structure, the images of a new cabinet on the steps of Huis ten Bosch Palace suddenly seemed surprisingly familiar to me. In times of change, rituals like these can have something comforting. By oath or vote, politicians who until recently seemed almost synonymous … Read more

Prime Minister Dick Schoof: “You can count on me”

In his first post on X and Instagram, the new Prime Minister Dick Schoof says that the Netherlands can count on him. “I am looking forward to getting started as Prime Minister. For a safe and fair Netherlands with social security for all.” He continued: “I am in favour of controlling migration, maintaining dialogue, making … Read more

116,000 households keep their energy bills affordable by spending money

“Let’s take a semi-detached house with four children,” says researcher Anika Batenburg from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). “We know what the average energy consumption there should be.” And if in practice the consumption of natural gas and electricity turns out to be much lower, alarm bells will start ringing at TNO. … Read more

‘Headwinds will arise. But our steps are irreversible’

It gets very quiet in Amsterdam’s Oosterpark when Winti priestess Marian Markelo performs her traditional ceremony. “Ancestors, I bring you a libation and ask you to make the Netherlands aware of its history,” she says. “Because many Dutch people still cannot accept it.” The park is packed on Monday afternoon, during the annual commemoration of … Read more

Difficulties in paying energy bills are increasing again: ‘More than 100,000 families make saving a sport’

Hundreds of thousands of Dutch people who were able to stay afloat last year thanks to government support may now still have trouble paying their electricity and gas bills. The price cap and energy support have been abolished, wages have risen, but in the meantime prices per cubic metre and kilowatt hour are still higher … Read more

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