The Netherlands: Dutch Railways NS new ticketing system considered complicated and unfriendly by NS customers

A random poll by EU-Digest throughout the Netherlands shows that 68% of NS customers are unhappy with the new obligatory electronic OV Chipcard ticketing system. The new system went into effect two months ago throughout the Netherlands.

The new system did away with a paper ticketing system and replaced it with an electronic "refill" Chipcard called OV Chipcard tied into the customers bank account or credit card. The OV Chipcard can also be used on all other Public Transport in the Netherlands

Travelers find the new system complicated, riddled with technical problems and especially unfriendly to many older customers who are not tech savvy

Tourists visiting the Netherlands also complained that the ticketing system does not accept many International credit cards.

Almere-Digest

US blows off Netherlands in ISIS fight - by Maxime Zech

The United State has deemed The Netherlands unfit to address the threat of the Islamic State (IS) in a powerful enough manner. Because of the country’s hesitation to contribute heavy weaponry, The Netherlands
will not be part of the so-called coalition of the willing, in which  nine allies are joining forces in the fight against IS, the Dutch daily Volkskrant reports. 

At the NATO summit in Wales last week, American Foreign Affairs Minister John Kerry called on nine allies to join the coalition of the willing and contribute to the armed struggle. 

According to a source, The Netherlands was very surprised not to be on the list. The coalition is now made up out of The United States, Great Britain, France, Germany,  Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Poland, Canada and Australia.

Note Almere Digest: The list who is in or out among the nations participating in the fight against ISIS keeps changing daily. Recently Turkey stated they would not participate with troops.  

Read more: US blows off Netherlands in ISIS fight - NL Times

Insurance Industry: SURE Autumn editiom highlights Insurance developments around the world

A new edition of Koster verzekeringen b.v. international internet publication SURE, with highlights from and around the global insurance world, is available on-line.    

 KOSTER verzekeringen b.v. is an independent Dutch insurance company in Alphen aan den Rijn, established in 1985 and presently employing some 40 highly specialized employees

What makes KOSTER Verzekeringen b.v. particularly interesting is their corporate philosophy. Chairman of the Board Wim Koster says about this philosophy: "we don't just sell insurance policies but instead we helps our customers during the buying process".

For a free subscription to SURE  - contact info@koster.nl

Almere-Digest

World Cup Soccer: Ruthless Dutch rip shell-shocked Spain to shreds - by Neil Maidmen

A rampant Netherlands team inflicted a heaviest World Cup defeat on holders Spain in over 60 years with a dazzling 5-1 demolition on Friday that sent shockwaves through the tournament.

The Dutch were nothing but brutal in a tetchy 1-0 final defeat by the Spaniards four years ago, but they set out to disrupt the champions' possession game and blew them away with two goals each from Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben.

Only once before had Spain conceded five times in a World Cup game, in a 6-1 loss to hosts Brazil in 1950. The mauling was also the worst ever start for defending world champions.

"Spain were always going to come at us and we catch them on the counter. My players did it perfectly. It's far better than we ever expected," Dutch coach Louis van Gaal told reporters.

Dutch revenge looked unlikely when Spain, also 2008 and 2012 European champions, went ahead in the Group B clash with a 27th- minute Xabi Alonso penalty after Diego Costa was brought down.

Read more: Ruthless Dutch rip shell-shocked Spain to shreds - Football | The Star Online

Netherlands: Municipal elections - Government coalition parties suffer major loss - Wilders PVV also among losers

The Dutch government coalition parties all suffered major losses in Wednesdays municipal elections.

With 77% of the votes counted the biggest loser was the government coalition party PVDA ( Labour party) which lost more than 243 council seats around the country ( dropping from 863 to 620 seats) . The other government coalition party VVD (Conservative Party) lost 104 council seats country-wide, dropping from 1002 to 898 seats

Biggest winners were the Socialist party  (SP) who gained 159 seats, going from 186 to 345 seats and the D66 ( Democratic party) which gained more than 200 seats - going from  414 to 614 seats.
Wilders right-wing Eurosceptic anti-Muslim party dropped  from a total of 17 to 16 seats.  

EU-Digest

The Netherlands - Russia: Dutch PM says planned Russia trade mission still on 'for now'

The Netherlands will not cancel a planned trade mission to Russia over the Crimea crisis unless the European Union decides on economic sanctions against Moscow, the Dutch prime minister said.

Mark Rutte said on a late-night talk show on Monday that Economics Minister Henk Kamp's trip in May with a number of Dutch oil and gas companies would go ahead as planned. "For now the trip is on," Rutte said.

To date, the European Union has subjected 21 Russian and Ukrainian officials to visa restrictions and asset freezes for their roles in the seizure of Crimea from Ukraine.

Brussels has said more measures could follow in coming days if Russia does not back down and instead formally annexes Crimea.

Read more: Dutch PM says planned Russia trade mission still on 'for now' - Yahoo News

Global GNP: Holland outside the EU would be reduced to the same level of global importance as Florida

Netherlands equal to state of Florida

How does the U.S. economy measure up to the rest of the world? You could find out by poring over a table of GDP figures, or you could get a snap perspective from this map, which renames every U.S. state according to a country with a matching GDP.

One million Rhode Islanders have as much wealth as 15 million Guatemalans. Texas has an economy the size of Australia’s. And New York has met its match, Mexico.

The map from economist Mark J. Perry at the American Enterprise Institute puts America’s $16 trillion GDP in perspective. “The map and these statistics help remind us of the enormity of the economic powerhouse we live in,” Perry writes, at least to the 4% of the world’s population that lives there.

The Netherlands economy (GDP) is approximately the same as that of the state Florida in the USA with a similar number of inhabitants (17 million people) . 

This report underscore the fact that if the EU would break up - as most of the Eurosceptics would like to see happen -  individual EU member-states would not be able to play any significant role on the global scene in relation to international trade, economics, finances, jurisdiction or military matters. 

In other words a united Europe can be a master of its own fate but divided it will fall.

Read more: GDP Map of U.S. States Compared to World | TIME.com

Sochi Olympics Speed Skating: Jorrit Bergsma knocks off Kramer in Dutch 10,000 meters sweep

Sven Kramer and Jorrit Bergsma

Sven Kramer stayed in the right lane this time.

No matter. He was again denied a gold medal in the speedskating race he wanted more than any other.

With a stunner of a finishing kick, Jorrit Bergsma knocked off country man and the world's greatest distance skater, winning the 10,000 meters with an Olympic-record time on Tuesday. "I'm still dazed," Bergsma said.

Kramer gave away a sure gold in speedskating's longest event with an inexplicable mistake while changing lanes at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

This time, he simply got beat by — almost inevitably at the Sochi Games — a fellow Dutchman.
Bergsma turned in the fastest sea-level time ever, 12 minutes, 44.45 seconds, and shattered the Olympic record of 12:58.55 set by South Korea's Lee Seung-hoon four years ago.

Kramer settled for silver in 12:49.02. The bronze went to 37-year-old Bob de Jong.

While the order of finish didn't go as expected, the guys on the podium were no surprise at all.

It was another orange sweep, the fourth 1-2-3 finish for the Netherlands at Adler Arena, its speedskating medal haul climbing to 19 out of a possible 27.

Read more: Jorrit Bergsma knocks off Kramer in 10,000 meters - US News

Britain -250 jihadists reportedly return to UK - "EU must expel Imams and Preachers discussing politics and inflammatory issues"

Around 250 British jihadists have returned to the UK after training and fighting in Syria, a senior Whitehall security official told the Sunday Times. Security services are monitoring the “extremist tourists”, fearing they might carry out attacks at home.

Ministers have been informed that more than 400 Britons went to Syria to engage in militant activities, and “Well over half of those who traveled out have come back,” the official told the Times.

Senior security officials say the number of “returnees” is now five times the previously reported figure, highlighting the growing threat of so–called ‘extremist tourists’ going to warzones and returning home hardened militants.

"For some, their jihad is done, others will help others travel to Syria, while others will raise funds for fighting," the Whitehall source said.

The security services are said to be closely monitoring the 250 returnees, who include several veteran hardliners who have fought in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Many others have participated in combat or received training in munitions or other skills applicable to terror operations, with some exhibiting a willingness to carry out attacks in the UK, security officials cited in the report said.

“There are a few hundred people going out there. They may be injured or killed, but our biggest worry is when they return they are radicalized, they may be militarized, they may have a network of people that train them to use weapons,” London police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe told the paper.

Note EU-Digest: more attention needs to be given by the EU Commission, the EU Parliament and member state Governments as to some of the "sermons" preached by Islamic Imams and Preachers - especially those who discuss political issues and matters which are inflammatory and have nothing to do with religion. 

Read more: Op-Edge

Netherlands - Banking Industry: Rabobank to Eliminate More Jobs in the Netherlands - by Martin van Tartwijk

Dutch lender Rabobank Group will eliminate more jobs in the Netherlands as it seeks to downsize its domestic operations and further reduce costs.

The bank said late Friday it will cut between 1,000 and 2,000 jobs in thenext several years, largely at its headquarters in Utrecht. The overhaul will also affect the Dutch activities of Rabobank's international arm, which will be integrated into the headquarters.

The move will help to reduce annual costs EUR220 million by 2016, the bank said. It follows a previously unveiled restructuring in the Netherlands that will result in 8,000 job losses and the closure of hundreds of branches.

The Dutch bank employs about 60,000 world-wide. Like other lenders, Rabobank is seeking to slash costs as it faces a stricter regulatory environment and as customers are increasingly shifting to online banking.

Read more: Rabobank to Eliminate More Jobs in the Netherlands - WSJ.com

EU-US Trade Negotiations: French senators strongly attack trade deal - What about Dutch Parliament? Asleep?

During a debate in the French Senate, all political parties harshly criticized the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), but the French government defended the potential deal, EurActiv France reports.

The minister in charge of foreign trade, Nicole Bricq, admit with regret that France was the country where the mobilisation against what they call the 'transatlantic treaty', is the strongest.

A debate, which took place in the Senate on Thursday (9 January), showed bipartisan opposition to the agreement and the government found itself somewhat isolated on the topic after facing criticism from
speakers from all political sides.

he former French interior minister, Jean-Pierre Chevènement, reminded that the idea for a partnership was first and foremost an American idea, as the US wished to rebalance the trade surplus that the EU had with the country and bring back jobs to their continent.

“The companies’ interests are not always those of the states," warned  a politician, who considers that the currency issue should have been settled before signing a trade agreement.

“We should have put in place a transatlantic snake in the tunnel in order to establish, softly, a real parity between the euro and the dollar. We cannot talk about free trade when the parity between euro and
dollar go from one to two in ten years only.”

In his opinion, this aspect should be included in the negotiations, but the minister Bricq replied it was not on the agenda.

André Gattolin, a Green MP, also strongly opposed the partnership project, said that Europe had its own identity and should preserve it.  He also put forward the impact it would have on inequality in different European countries.

“We are promised 0.5% growth but only some zones will take advantage of it like the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp,” the MP went on to say.

“As it is, this project is bad and we saw with the NSA scandal that the dice are loaded,” he added.

Jean Bizet from the centre-right opposition, UMP, expressed concern about the food and agriculture aspects of the deal and notably the milk file, as cheese imports increase in France and milk producing regions grow anxious at the end of milk quotas in 2015.

The sharpest remark came from a member of the government's socialist majority, Marie-Noëlle Lienemann.

“I am very hostile to this treaty,” she said. “We are forced to note that happy globalisation did not happen! … multinational companies are in a situation that we cannot regulate,” she added.

The MP was sceptical about the growth perspectives, too. She added that the promised growth points could be reached with a recovery policy supported by large-scale work projects.

Read more: French senators strongly attack EU-US trade deal | EurActiv

Netherlands: Dutch business leaders slam cabinet polices, support at record low

Dutch business leaders are extremely unhappy with the current right-left coalition's policies and think the cabinet is failing to tackle the crisis.

Employers' organisation VNO-NCW questioned 471 company bosses about their attidudes to the VVD-PvdA government and current policy. In total, the cabinet scored just 4.9 out of 10 - a record low according to the Telegraaf.

Prime minister Mark Rutte was rated 5.4, well below most of his senior ministers. Top ranked minister was finance chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem from the PVDA (Labour Party) government coalition member, who scored 6.6.

Read more: DutchNews.nl - Dutch business leaders slam cabinet polices, support at record low

De machtsgreep van de megalobbyisten - Opinie - De Morgen

 Sinds deze zomer onderhandelen de Europese Commissie en de VS over een Trans-Atlantisch Vrijhandels- en Investeringsverdrag. Hoe meer we te weten komen over deze onderhandelingen, hoe zorgwekkender de informatie. De onderhandelingen verlopen niet transparant. Industriële lobby's zitten mee aan de onderhandelingstafel. Het Europese parlement, de nationale parlementen, de middenveldorganisaties, vakbonden, ngo's, kleine bedrijven en werkgeversorganisaties en burgers worden zeer beperkt geïnformeerd. Nochtans zal wat onderhandeld wordt een enorme impact hebben op ons samenlevingsmodel.

Controversieel is de discussie over het arbitragemechanisme voor investeringsbescherming (Investor-state dispute settlement, afgekort ISDS). Dat soort arbitrageovereenkomsten legt vast wat de rechten van investeerders zijn en hoe geschillen beslecht worden. Dat mechanisme zorgt ervoor dat bedrijven staten kunnen aanklagen voor internationale arbitragehoven. Boven de hoofden heen van nationale gerechtshoven en parlementen oordelen drie rechters over de aanklacht achter gesloten deuren.

De ISDS-regelgeving die de VS en Europa graag willen invoeren onder druk van de industriële lobby's, holt de democratie uit. Vermogende bedrijven gebruiken dit mechanisme om overheidsmaatregelen die de verwachte winst van de bedrijven mogelijks aantast, aan te klagen, zelfs al dienen deze maatregelen om de burgers of het milieu te beschermen. Te hallucinant voor woorden? Doemdenken? Neen.

 De machtsgreep van de megalobbyisten - Opinie - De Morgen

The Netherlands - Poverty: Serious rise in poverty in the Netherlands - by Alexandra Gowling

New statistics from state statistics agency CBS reveal that poverty in the Netherlands has increased sharply over the last two years, from 7,4 per cent in 2010 to 9,4 per cent in 2012.

Despite the economic crisis beginning in 2008, the full impact on household incomes has only begun to be felt over the last few years. Now, 664.000 households in the Netherlands are at risk of poverty, with a total of 1,329 million people in 2012 existing on a low income.

Estimates suggest that the poverty rate will have risen again in 2013, but less than in 2012, and decline slightly in 2014.

Adults in poverty are often employed, although of the 348.000 working poor in 2012, 165.000 were self-employed. There were also 255.000 poor social assistance benefit recipients and 79.000 people aged over 65 (i.e. retired) in poverty.

There are also more children in poverty now: over 100.000 more than in 2007. That means one in three poor people is aged under 18. In addition, people living in poverty are less likely to be immigrants to the Netherlands, with 60 per cent of people in poverty identifying as native Dutch.

Further, almost a quarter of all households in the Netherlands living below the low-income threshold in 2011 were in the Randstad, with the largest share in Amsterdam. The poverty rate has risen more in The Hague and Rotterdam than Amsterdam since 2009, however, and Rotterdam has the most poor postcode districts in the top 20.

EU-Digest

The Netherlands: The Netherlands: Health Insurers have also become too big to fail

Health insurers like banks have also become too big to fail '. That says Chris Oomen, CEO of health care provider ' Achmea.  In 2008 it received state bailout funds and today controls one third of that tmarket ',

"Assume Achmea goes down -  there will be no health care provider which is able to accept our insured in the Netherlands, because no one has enough equity to take on our 5 million customers. That requires so much capital, that you will become bankrupt immediately. We have therefore also become  'too big to fail.' says Oomen.

According to Oomen hospitals now also fall in this too big to fail category in the Netherlands.


Almere-Diges

Turkey v Netherlands - 2-0 Turkey crushed by clinical Holland

Holland celebrated their qualification for the World Cup finals with a 2-0 win to finally end Turkey's tame challenge for a play-off place.

Fatih Terim's men needed to beat the Group D winners, who sealed their place in Brazil last week, while hoping rivals Romania dropped points.

But an early free-kick from Arjen Robben beat Volkan Demirel to put Turkey firmly on the back foot and Wesley Sneijder's goal shortly after the break confirmed a fateful 2-0 win.

It was a ninth win in 10 qualifying games for Holland but Turkey finished a poor fourth behind Romania and Hungary after both nations won their respective games against Estonia and Andorra.

In a game which featured a Holland side fresh from hammering Hungary 8-1 and a Turkey team desperate to secure second place, it was remarkable that the first 20 minutes produced only one shot on goal.

Read more: Turkey v Netherlands - 15th Oct 2013 | Report | World Cup Euro Qual | Sky Sports Football

Netherlands King Warns:" Dutch Welfare State Gone"

In his first major public address, the recently crowned Dutch King Willem-Alexander has warned his subjects that the welfare state of the 20th century is gone.

While still traveling past waving fans in an ornate horse-drawn carriage to the 13th-century Hall of Knights in The Hague, the monarch's traditional speech on the government's budget was gloomy.

In televised remarks, King Willem-Alexander said the traditional welfare state that has made the Netherlands famous is coming to an end.
 
"In its place," he said speaking carefully, a "participation society" is emerging, "in which people must take responsibility for their own future and create their own social and financial safety nets, with less help from the national government."

He stressed that, "The classic welfare state of the second half of the 20th century in these areas in particular brought forth arrangements that are unsustainable in their current form."

Note : EU-Digest: Regardless of the comments the King made about the end of the Welfare State had come to an end he still made use of the ornate gold-plated horse drawn carriage to take him to Hall of Knight. Said one onlooker: "if he wants us to tighten our belts  he should have driven to Hall of Knights with his wife in his own car."

Read more: Netherlands King Warns: Dutch Welfare State Gon

Almere World Trade Center Starts Master Class Business Modelling

The Almere World Trade Center is offering a one day Masterclass for entrepreneurs who are starting up a business and for established managers in both the Public and Private sector.

This Masterclass is based  on "learning by doing".  Following the completion of this course participants can even develop their own business model.

For starting companies the model can be used as a marketing tool and for already established companies and organizations it can be used to develop new innovative ideas.

Either way, a win win offer for self motivational enrichment.

For additional information click here  

EU-Digest

Netherlands to wait for a UN decision over Syria

The Members of the Netherlands Foreign Affairs Commission of the House of Representatives discussed Syria Thursday and they took a dim view of a possible military intervention in Syria without getting the support of UN.

Netherlands will wait for a UN decision over the matter, said Foreign Minister Franciscus Timmermans.

Members of the commission also voiced thatthe Dutch Patriot missiles in Turkey can not be used for attack purposes stating they were sent to Turkey for defense purposes.

Last night the British parliament voted against British troops getting involved in Syria and in fact handed Mr. Cameron, who was in favor of the intervention, a resounding defeat.

Almere-Digest

Dutch Government Planned Student Loan Program Could Fail Based On US Experience

As the costs of higher education continue to skyrocket across the USA and Europe, the student loan debt bubble in America is reaching unprecedented heights as more and more young adults are not able to repay their loans.

A new analysis from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in America  found that only half of the more than $1 trillion in student loan debt is being repaid. Specifically, only 42 percent of direct student loans are in repayment while 60 percent of Federal Family Education Loans are in repayment.

The CFPB also found that 13-14 percent of borrowers are defaulting on their loan, which will have secondary effects of making things like buying a home or a car that much more difficult. Experts have said this could create an entire generation of students who can’t achieve the American dream.

An additional 18 percent of former students are either in deferment, putting off paying the loan, or in forbearance because they don’t make enough money to be able to pay the loan and make payments on the rest of their bills.

The CFPB said there are several ways to reduce payments including a plan called Pay As You Earn where payments are equal to 10 percent of your income above the poverty line and after 20 years any remaining balance is forgiven.

The main issue with the government-backed student loans, however, is that these loans have created an education bubble. Both Stafford loans and private bank loans are given to essentially anyone who applies, and this has inflated the cost of education overall. On an individual level, even if a person was to declare bankruptcy later in life, his or her student loans will still stick.

Therefore, banks can make risky loans to students because they know that the government will still back those loans. In addition, with the ease of loan dispersal, students feel less of an incentive to choose degrees that will allow them to easily pay back their student loans and may instead choose programs with less job security.

Unlike 30-50 years ago, it’s nearly impossible for students today to graduate on time without the assistance of student loans or military grants. While scholarships can be a viable answer for some students—particularly those who are eligible for need-based financial aid—the majority of students can’t rely on scholarships and grants alone. So not only are loans necessary to achieve academic goals, but the costs of those goals are increasing as a result of government-backed loans. Like during the housing market crisis, prices are rapidly inflating, but people who aren’t particularly good loan candidates are still getting them because banks know that if borrowers default, then the government will bail them out.

Pursuing higher education is a valuable endeavor and can definitely result in a higher quality of life in the long run. For many, loans are the only way to afford an education. But the ease of receiving government loans is a double-edged sword that both expedites the process for people with solid career prospects and encourages risky behavior by making it easier for students to get degrees that won’t necessarily be valuable in the job market. While the increase in student loan rates is a hardship for most, what may be an even greater hardship is the difficulty of making ends meet later in life, when crippling student loan debt prevents individuals from getting what they want from their careers.

The Dutch government should take note of the above, given the very negative results achieved with the program in the US.

For more: EU-Digest