The Netherlands: Five things the Netherlands does best

The Netherlands is such a small yet varied country. There’s so much going on, all the time - some of it good, some of it less so. It’s easy to compare the Netherlands to other countries around the world, especially as expats, but there are some things that the Dutch have just managed to hone down to an art. So, to shed some positive light on some of the elements of this wonderful country, let’s take a look at five things that the Netherlands undeniably does best.

 1. Bike parking
2. Work-life balance
3. Broodjes
4. Openness and honesty
5. Symphonic metal

his is only a small handful of some of the things the Netherlands has to offer, and some of the aspects of Dutch life that you can enjoy living here. What are some other things you love about the Netherlands? Are there any key things missing from this list? Let us know in the comments!

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Five things the Netherlands does best

The Netherlands: Alarm in Netherlands as Covid-19 cases and reproduction rate climb

European neighbours, the Netherlandscould now be facing a crisis – with the level of infection almost doubling in one week, combined with a worrying increase in the
reproduction rate of the virus.

Latest figures from the public health institute – now issued weekly rather than daily – show
that 987 new cases were recorded during the week July 15th-21st, compared with 534 the previous week, a rise than cannot be accounted for statistically by increased mass testing.

At the same time, the healthinstitute says the reproduction rate rose during that week to 1.29, thefirst time since March that it’s been higher than 1. A reproduction rateof more than one means that, on average, every patient is infectingmore than one other person – and so the number of cases is rising.

Worrying too – as hugenumbers leave this weekend for stay-at-home holidays in rural parts of the country – is that young adults in their 20s are now almost as likely to be infected as those over 50, an extraordinary turn around in the behaviour of the disease.

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Alarm in Netherlands as Covid-19 cases and reproduction rate climb

The Netherands Coronavirus antibodies may not help with cure, after Dutch study sees harmful effect in ICU patients

Antibodies generated by the immune system to neutralize the novel coronavirus could cause severe harm or even kill the patient, according to a study by Dutch scientists.

Immuno globulin G (IgG) is a fork-shaped molecule produced by adaptive immune cells to intercept foreign invaders. Each type of IgG targets a specific type of pathogen.

The IgG for Sars-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19, fights off the virus by binding with the virus' unique spike protein to reduce its chance ofinfecting human cells. They usually appear a week or two after the onset of illness, when the symptoms of most critically-ill patients suddenly get worse.

A research team led by Professor Menno de Winther from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands said they might have found an importantclue that may answer why the IgG appears only when patients are ill enough to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

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Coronavirus antibodies may not help with cure, after Dutch study sees harmful effect in ICU patients | South China Morning Post

EU summit: Leaders reach landmark €1.82 trillion COVID-19 recovery deal and budget

Speaking to reporters, European Council president Charles Michel called it a "good deal", stating that "Europe is solid".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, meanwhile, underlined important concessions made in the search for a compromise, saying she regretted the cuts to "modern policies" in research and innovation.

French president Emmanuel Macron called it an "historic day for Europe".

The recovery plan includes €390 billion worth of grants and €360 billion worth of loans due to a compromise with the so-called frugal four, now five, countries — Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

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EU summit: Leaders reach landmark €1.82 trillion COVID-19 recovery deal and budget | Euronews

EU summit: Talks entering 'crucial phase' as leaders meet for fourth day

Leaders left the marathon summit early Monday morning without an agreement and are set to resume talks at 16:00 CET. The summit was originally planned to end on Saturday.

Von der Leyen told reportershat "after three days and three nights of negotiation marathon, we're entering now in the crucial phase but I have the impression that European leaders really want an agreement."

"I'm positive for today, we're not there yet but things are moving in the right direction," she added.

Talks have focussed on a proposed €1.68 trillion package, a seven-year budget and a coronavirus recovery fund.

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EU summit: Talks entering 'crucial phase' as leaders meet for fourth day | Euronews

EU: COVID-19 situation update for the EU/EEA and the UK, as of 19 July 2020 Coronavirus.

Read all the details re Coronavirus EU/EEA Statistics
COVID-19 situation update for the EU/EEA and the UK, as of 19 July 202

EU - Summit Coronavirus Bailout Fund: Spanish vs Dutch views on the EU Recovery Fund - by Monika Sie Dhian Ho and Charles Powell

Dutch PM Mark Rutte being stingy

The Netherlands and Spain are at opposite ends of the debate about the EU's recovery package. But they must realise they are in the same boat.

The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered an unprecedented recession in Europe which has hit the EU at a delicate moment. It could be the toughest test for European integration yet. A strong, fast and coordinated, response is essential.

The European Central Bank has deployed an unprecedented asset-purchase programme, the European Commission has for the first time ever lifted restrictions on fiscal expansion and state aid, and the Eurogroup agreed new European Stability Mechanism credit lines, emergency measures to support those unemployed, and new funds for the European Investment Bank. Now it is time for the heads of state and government to rise to the challenge

The internal market, the monetary union and the Schengen travel zone are at risk, and populist anti-EU voices stand ready to exploit disagreements that have emerged among member-states.

A piece of unfinished business is the so-called EU Recovery Fund.

It is based on a Commission proposal, and is integrated into the EU's draft seven-year budget. It would allow for investment in the EU of almost two trillion euros, some of it in the form of debt issued by the Commission.

The sooner a deal is reached, the quicker the money can be The sooner a deal is reached, the quicker the money can be released and the faster the recovery will be.

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Spanish vs Dutch views on the EU Recovery Fund