The Netherlans: Dutch economy expected to grow again next year, Covid-19 effects to linger

The Dutch economy will  shrink by 5.1 percent this year, but recovery will start at the end of the year and in 2021 the economy will grow b3.2 percent, according to central planning office CPB's draft-macroeconomic foresight studies. The effects of the Covid-19 crisis will linger, however, with unemployment rising to 7 percent next year.

The CPB expects all parts of the economy to recover somewhat nextyear. Household consumption will decrease by 5.9 percent this year, and increase by 4.1 percent next year. Investments will go from -7.5 percent his year, to plus 4.4 percent next year. Exports will decrease by 5.2 percent this year, but increase by 4.7 percent next year, and imports will go from -3.7 percent this year to plus 5.4 percent in 2021. Government consumption is the only factor that won't see a decrease this year. It is expected to increase by 2.9 percent this year and by 2.0
percent next year.

CPB director Pieter Hasekamp told NOS that the coronavirus blow to the Dutch economy is "unprecedentedly hard" and "largely yet to befelt". "The corona crisis also has major consequences or things that affect the quality of life: we miss celebrating a wedding oranniversary, the theater and concert stages are empty, and there are serious concerns about loneliness in nursing homes."

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Dutch economy expected to grow again next year, Covid-19 effects to linger | NL Times

EU Economy: Spring 2018 Economic Forecast: Expansion to continue amid new risks

Growth rates for the EU and the euro area beat expectations in 2017 to reach a 10-year high at 2.4%. Growth is set to remain strong in 2018 and ease only slightly in 2019, with growth of 2.3% and 2.0% respectively in both the EU and the euro area.

Private consumption remains strong, while exports and investment have increased. Unemployment continues to fall and is now around pre-crisis levels. However, the economy is more exposed to external risk factors, which have strengthened and become more negative.

Robust growth is facilitating a further reduction in government deficit and debt levels and an improvement in labour market conditions. The aggregate deficit for the euro area is now less than 1% of GDP and is forecast to fall under 3% in all euro area Member States this year.

Read more: European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Spring 2018 Economic Forecast: Expansion to continue amid new risks

The Netherlands: A Look At The World’s High-Tech Startup Capital - by Conrad Egusa and Steven Cohen

Behind London and Berlin, the Dutch startup scene is already considered to be one of the most prominent in Europe. (If it feels unfair to weigh an entire country against individual cities, consider that the Netherlands has 17 million people crammed into an area half the size of South Carolina.

Startup Juncture reported 75 major deals in 2014, for a total of roughly $560 million in investment. Ten companies raised over $9 million. In the past few years, especially, each successive quarter has seemingly brought a new standard for sheer volume of activity. The road to this point has been long and deliberate, and Dutch entrepreneurs deserve credit for what they’ve managed to achieve thus far.

And yet, to herald Dutch innovation as it currently stands is to unveil a project that’s still only just underway.

The Dutch, on the whole, speak better English than probably any non-native population in continental Europe, one of the hallmarks of a consistently excellent education system that also scores among the highest worldwide in math and science metrics. Strong economic foundations in industry and commerce offer a dependable framework for continued growth.

And under the proven leadership of Neelie Kroes, the so-called “Internet-Tsar” of Europe, the government’s recent commitments to tech entrepreneurship may mark a bellwether of a new era in startup proliferation.

Read more: The Netherlands: A Look At The World’s High-Tech Startup Capital | TechCrunch