The Netherlands-Ukraine Relations: Dutch PM, in Kyiv, urges justice for MH17 victims, dialogue in Ukraine crisis

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte urged dialogue to defuse a crisis with Russia on Wednesday during a trip to Kyiv in which he also reaffirmed his resolve to secure justice for families of the victims of an airliner downed over eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Rutte is the latest leader - following in the tracks of the British and Polish premiers - to visit Kyiv in a show of solidarity after Russia massed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine's borders in a standoff that has alarmed the West.

The Ukraine crisis is closely watched in the Netherlands, where Dutch prosecutors have sought the convictions of four men charged with murder over the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

Read more Dutch PM, in Kyiv, urges justice for MH17 victims, dialogue in Ukraine crisis | Reuters

The Netherlands: Pressure mounts as Dutch govt coalition talks drag on

Pressure is mounting on Dutch political leaders to put together a coalition government, which after 226 days on Friday became the longest formation talks on record in the Netherlands.

Experts say even the position of long-time Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was by no means certain,

But seven months after Dutch voters went to the polls it was very much back to square one, with a future coalition government most likely resembling the one that stepped down in January over a childcare scandal.

Read more at: Pressure mounts as Dutch govt coalition talks drag on

The Netherlands: Rutte for Fourth Term? Splintered Dutch Political Landscape

Approaching 7 months since the last Dutch general election, new cabinet formations have been marred by internal struggles, ministerial scandals, and political betrayals hampering party leaders from partaking in constructive discussions. The current and now demissionary Rutte III cabinet holds the record for the longest cabinet formation in Dutch history: a whopping 225 days, a situation politicians hoped they would never encounter again. However, Rutte’s aspirations to become the Netherlands’ longest-serving Prime Minister, in combination with the country’s fragmented political landscape, means Dutch citizens must brace themselves for a long formation if not new elections. Recent breakthroughs to restart the current coalition have signaled a possible end to formations, but if it falls through, new elections are inevitable.

Read more at: Rutte for Fourth Term? Splintered Dutch Political Landscape | Global Risk Insights

The Netherlands: Face masks are back, more working at home, as Dutch bring back anti-Covid rules

The Netherlands is bringing in new measures to control coronavirus in a bid to reverse the sharp rise in new cases, and tougher rules are also in the pipeline if there is no improvement. The new plans were outlined by ministers at a press conference on Tuesday evening, shortly after officials raised the risk level to ‘severe’ now that the average number of hospital admissions per day is above 100.

Although social distancing will not be compulsory, it is the government’s ‘urgent advice’, prime minister Mark Rutte told a press conference on Tuesday evening.

Read more at: Face masks are back, more working at home, as Dutch bring back anti-Covid rules - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands: Rutte for Fourth Term? Splintered Dutch Political Landscape

With more than 10 years of Rutte at the helm of Dutch government, he is very close to breaking Ruud Lubbers record of 11 years and 291 days to become the longest-serving PM of the Netherlands; a record that is bound to be broken if Rutte IV materialises. By presenting himself as the country’s national crisis manager, Rutte has held onto his popularity by pragmatically steering the Netherlands through the pandemic, thus strengthening his mandate to form a fourth cabinet under his leadership. However, soon after ‘scouts’ started their exploratory post-election research into cabinet formations, what appeared to become an easy path to Rutte IV took an unexpected turn. Research notes were accidentally leaked revealing Rutte’s now infamous statement: “positie Omtzigt, functie elders” (Omtzigt’s position, function elsewhere), a statement interpreted as exploring means to silence critical members of parliament. The PM’s initial denial of mentioning Omtzigt as part of the talks, followed by his claims of forgetting it, triggered an eruption of political and public outrage, threatening the future of a fourth Rutte cabinet

Read more at: Rutte for Fourth Term? Splintered Dutch Political Landscape | Global Risk Insights

Dutch PM withheld information from parliament on talks with Russia: report

Prime Minster Mark Rutte incompletely informed parliament about talks that senior Dutch officials had with Russia. Rutte said that these conversations were only a "free exchange of views", but the talks included controversial topics and agreements were made, Follow the Money and The Investigative Desk reported.

The Netherlands officially severed ties with Russia after flight MH17 was shot down in 2014, but communications were picked up again three years later. Senior officials from the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Foreign Affairs resumed talks with their Russian colleagues. The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, only found out about this after the two research platforms reported about it earlier in the year.

Read more at: Dutch PM withheld information from parliament on talks with Russia: report | NL Times

Nederland: Dit land heeft honderd dagen na de verkiezingen een echt kabinet nodig, Nederland moet weer geregeerd worden - door Henk van der Laan

Na ruim honderd dagen na de verkiezingen is er nog altijd geen zicht op een nieuw kabinet. En dat terwijl er genoeg problemen in Nederland zijn die schreeuwen om beleid door een volwaardig kabinet.

Note Almere Digest: The Netherlands still has no real functioning decission making government , 100 days after the general election. Maybe it is time for demissionnary PM Rutte to read the writing on the wall?

Read Morte at: Dit land heeft honderd dagen na de verkiezingen een echt kabinet nodig, Nederland moet weer geregeerd worden | Commentaar - Friesch Dagblad

The Netherlands: Balancing act: Dutch PM eases lockdown amid infection rise - by Mike Corder

Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced a significant easing in his country's months-long coronavirus lockdown Tuesday, calling it a delicate balancing act as infections remain stubbornly high.

The decision to cautiously relax restrictions reflects difficult choices being made in many countries as lockdown fatigue grows even as positive cases keep rising.

Read more at: Balancing act: Dutch PM eases lockdown amid infection rise - ABC News

The Netherlands: Lawmakers censure Dutch PM Rutte over coalition talks- by MIKE CORDER

Netherlands (AP) — Caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s political future was in doubt Friday after lawmakers passed a motion of censure against him that was filed by two parties in his own outgoing coalition.

The politically damaging move came at the end of a marathon parliamentary debate about the stalled process to form a new government following elections last month. Opposition lawmakers accused Rutte of lying and undermining public trust in politicians. He narrowly survived a motion of no-confidence.

It was a stunning fall from grace just over two weeks after his conservative party won the most seats in parliament in the election, putting him in line to form his fourth governing coalition and possibly become the country’s longest-serving prime minister.<

Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/mark-rutte-netherlands-europe-elections-338dc3293ec7bf1ac206c9f3659caea1

The Netherlands elections- PM Rutte wins for the 4th time: Party leaders react to Dutch election results; Left wing let down

Party leaders from across the political spectrum gave their reactions to the exit poll results after voting in the 2021 parliamentary elections wrapped up. Seventeen parties were projected to take at least one of the 150 seats in the Tweed e Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament. Below follows a round up of reactions from party leaders.

Not included are speeches covered in a separate article, like those from Mark Rutte, the leader of the apparent winner VVD, Sigrid Kaag, who led D66 to a second place finish, and Geert Wilders, whose PVV finished in third. Also missing is Thierry Baudet, leader of the FvD, who gave no reaction three hours after the polls closed despite an apparently strong election result based on exit poll data.

It was a "painful" defeat for the Greens, said GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver of his party's projected six-seat loss. "This result also means that colleagues will not come back, and that hurts."

Read more at: Party leaders react to Dutch election results; Left wing let down | NL Times

Netherlands election: Mark Rutte set to win big – but what next?

The outgoing prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, appears headed for a comprehensive victory and fourth successive term in office as the Dutch go to the polls in national elections on Monday, with voting spread over three days due to coronavirus restrictions.

Polls predict Rutte, who has headed three coalition governments of different political complexions since 2010, and his centre-right People’s party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) will win twice as many parliamentary seats as his nearest rival

Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/15/netherlands-election-mark-rutte-set-to-win-big-but-what-next

The Netherlands - Coronavirus: Reactions to Christmas coronavirus measures in the Netherlands

On Tuesday evening, around 5,5 million people tuned in to watch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge’s press conference, in which they announced that no coronavirus measures would be relaxed over Christmas.

On the whole, this decision didn't come as much of a surprise, as the number of coronavirus infections in the Netherlands remains high. However, there were some that had hoped for some good news on December 8.

Business owners have become increasingly frustrated with the enforced closure of the catering industry, but were left hoping for some good news after a document from the Ministry of Economic Affairs leaked on Tuesday afternoon. The document stated that, based on figures from the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), the catering industry actually only had a very limited impact on the national r-number.

Read more at: Reactions to Christmas coronavirus measures in the Netherlands

The Netherlands: Rutte: "The coronavirus is making a comeback"; New rules for hospitality, groups: by Zack Newmark

surge in new infections of the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus will  ranslate to new restrictions in at least six regions of the Netherlandsbeginning on Monday. "The coronavirus is making a comeback," 

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at a press conference Friday night. At the event, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge introduced a three-stage warning  system for the 25 security regions of the Netherlands, where 19 regions are at Level 1, or "vigilance", meaning people still need to pay  attention to social distancing rules, and six regions including the four, largest cities were placed at the "Worrysome" Level 2.

Read more at: Rutte: "The coronavirus is making a comeback"; New rules for hospitality, groups | NL Times

The Netherlands: Dutch PM criticized after calling out 'white sipping elites' for not giving Trump a fair chance

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte faced criticism on Sunday after making comments about what he called "white wine sipping elites in Amsterdam" who are not giving US President Donald Trump a fair chance. Rutte made these comments during an appearance on Buitenhof, a weekly TV show focused on Dutch politics that aired on Sunday.  

Note Almere-Digest: Strange comments by Dutch PM, specially after the US Trump administration downgraded the diplomatic status of the  European Union’s delegation to the United States last year without making a formal announcement or informing the bloc about the change. The European Union’s demotion from a member state to an international organization became clear at the funeral of President George Bush, when Mr.O’Sullivan’s name was not called in the expected order, dictated by diplomatic protocols.Donald Trump certainly is not a friend of the EU, or the Netherlands, a Member State of the European Union. The Dutch PM "must have lost his "marbles" in making these comments. 

For the full report click on link below 
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/dutch-pm-criticised-calling-white-wine-sipping-elites-190113195619653.html

The Netherlands: Edith Schippers fails and hands over cabinet talks to new chief negotiator

Efforts to form a new Dutch cabinet took a new turn on Monday when Edith Schippers, who has led the talks so far, said she wanted to hand the job over to a new negotiator.

Read more at DutchNews.nl: Edith Schippers hands over cabinet talks to new chief negotiator http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/05/edith-schippers-hands-over-cabinet-talks-to-new-chief-negotiator/

Tjeenk Willink

Efforts to form a new Dutch cabinet took a new turn today, Monday, May 29, when Edith Schippers, who has led the talks so far, said she wanted to hand the job over to a new negotiator.

Tjeenk Willink (75) helped negotiate previous cabinets in 1994, 1999 and 2010. 

He is also a friend of the former queen Beatrix and one of her closest advisors. 

In her final report, handed over to parliament today Monday, May29,  Schippers said there were objections to every potential coalition and that this meant she had completed her task. Tjeenk Willink, who has said he is willing to take on the job, must start by asking different combinations of parties to the negotiating table immediately, the former health minister said.

The results of the election have created a complicated situation, Schippers said. ‘The result demands a formation process which will take time. Parties have to take a step towards the others because there are wide differences in policy.’

However, Schippers refused to talk of deadlock. ‘Standpoints have been taken but they could change in the next phase,’ she said. The Netherlands has been without a government since March 15 when the general election was held. Two attempts to form a new government have failed so far.

The VVD emerged as the biggest party with 33 seats, followed by the anti-immigration PVV on 20, and CDA and D66 on 19. The big parties have all ruled out working together with Geert Wilders’ PVV unless he takes back discriminatory comments about Moroccans.

Read more: Edith Schippers hands over cabinet talks to new chief negotiator - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands-Trump: Dutch PM not on list of 30 leaders who called Trump - by Janene Pieters

American President-elect Donald Trump released a list of all the world leaders he's spoken to since winning the U.S. election with the most electoral votes last week, to show how hard he's been working. But he forgot to add Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to the list.

After Trump's victory Rutte released a statement congratulating him. He also personally spoke to the president-elect to convey his congratulations, according to AD. The Prime Minister stressed the historical ties between the Netherlands andAmerica's and assumes that Trump's new government will continue to work with the Nethelrands "on the basis of shared values and principles".

But this conversation seemingly did not make much of an impact on Trump, given that he seems to have forgotten about it. The Netherlands is not mentioned on the list of 29 foreign leaders.

Rutte's motivation to keep working with Trump also lead to criticism in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of parliament. D66 leader Alexander Pechtold in particular would have preferred it if Rutte was more criticial. He wondered whether anything in Rutte's conversation with him, "set Trump thinking". The PvdA and GroenLinks also criticized the Prime Minister's approach.

The Prime Minister countered that it is unwise to immediately start hostilities. "Let's give the guy a chance and not ruin the relationship in advance. Trump was democratically elected." He believes it is of the utmost impmortance that Europe and the United states continue to build a strong relationship, also under Trump. "The Netherlands plays a role here. We are the smallest of the big countries. We have an opportunity and responsibility to help build a bridge between Europe and America."

According to AD, a spokesperson for Trump confirmed that the conversation between the president-elect and Dutch Prime Minister did indeed happen and an updated list, including the Netherlands, will be released this Thursday November 17

Note Almere-Digest : Don't cry Mark, Daddy Trump loves you too.


Read more: Dutch PM not on list of 30 leaders who called Trump | NL Times

The Netherlands: Dutch PM criticized for "vagueness" on Royal family tax files - by Janene Pieters

A number of parties in the Tweede Kamer - the lower house of Dutch parliament - criticized Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the "vague" manner in which he handles files on the Royal family.
 
According to the parties, Rutte was not transparent in his information and a series of incidents involving the royals is bad for support of the monarchy, NU.nl reports.

The parties point to an alleged tax deal in which the Royal family is compensated for the taxes they pay, controversial sales of art, high maintenance costs of their  Golden Carriage and the their yacht the Groene Draeck and a high allowance crown princess Amalia will receive when she turns 18.

D66 leader Alexander Pechtold accused Rutte of making the King unnecessarily vulnerable by not being open, fair and transparent" about the Royals.
Read more: Dutch PM criticized for "vagueness" on Royal family files | NL Times