Amsterdam Times

AVROTROS to Boycott 2027 Eurovision Song Contest Over Rules on Countries Involved in Conflicts

The Dutch public broadcaster said it will withdraw from Eurovision for a second consecutive year, citing concerns that the European Broadcasting Union has failed to establish sufficiently transparent rules for countries involved in major...

Lando Norris Wins Final Dutch Grand Prix as Formula One Leaves Zandvoort

McLaren’s Lando Norris won the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix after home favorite Max Verstappen crashed early, bringing Formula One’s run at the Zandvoort circuit to an end after organizers decided to remove the Dutch venue from the calendar fol...

Schiphol Expects Nearly 1,400 Daily Flights as European Summer Travel Season Ends

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol expects an average of 1,395 daily flights in the final week of August, maintaining heavy traffic as the summer season winds down while the airport continues to operate under environmental and noise-related capa...

Magnitude 2.8 Earthquake Strikes Groningen Gas Region, Renewing Concerns Over Long-Term Seismic Risk

An earthquake near Zandeweer was the strongest recorded in the Groningen region since March, reviving concerns about damage to homes even though production from the main Groningen gas field ended two years ago.

Netherlands Condemns Israeli West Bank Settlement Expansion Ahead of September Import Ban

The Dutch government joined Britain, Canada, France and Germany in criticizing Israel’s plans for new settlements in the occupied West Bank, while the Netherlands prepares to ban imports, sales and trade involving goods produced in settl...

Dutch Budget Talks Face Deadlock Over Proposed €6.5 Billion Social Security Cuts

Finance Minister Eelco Heinen is seeking parliamentary support for the 2027 budget before an August 28 deadline, but opposition parties and labor unions are resisting planned social security reductions and calling instead for higher taxe...

Dutch NIS2 Cybersecurity Law Takes Effect, Covering More Than 8,000 Organizations

The new Cyberbeveiligingswet brings the European Union’s NIS2 cybersecurity rules into Dutch law, requiring thousands of organizations, including municipalities, water authorities and essential private companies, to strengthen digital de...

ASML Repurchases €390 Million of Shares Amid Rising Geopolitical Risks

The Dutch semiconductor equipment maker bought more than 250,000 shares in five trading days through August 21, continuing a major capital-return program as the company faces growing uncertainty over international export controls.

United States Pressures Netherlands to Further Restrict ASML Sales and Services to China

Washington is urging the Dutch government to extend export controls to older ASML lithography equipment and related services in China, putting additional pressure on the Netherlands to balance its security relationship with the United St...

Dutch Regulator Fines Uber €825 Million Over Automated Driver Account Suspensions

The Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed one of the largest GDPR penalties by a European privacy regulator after finding that Uber used automated systems to suspend European drivers without adequate human oversight or effective appeal...

Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production

The British premier authorizes European defense manufacturer MBDA to release sensitive component data during his first official visit to Kyiv on Ukraine's Independence Day.

Dutch Fibre and Sovereign Digital Projects Strengthen National Data Infrastructure

The Netherlands is expanding domestic digital infrastructure through wider fibre deployment, sovereign cloud services and the national Basis Data Infrastructuur, reflecting growing efforts by government and businesses to strengthen contr...

Dutch Government Tightens Enforcement of Crypto Reporting and Global Corporate Tax Rules

New Dutch administrative rules strengthen enforcement of cryptocurrency reporting and the global minimum corporate tax, targeting financial flows handled through the country while allowing limited temporary leniency for first-time report...

Dutch Consumer Confidence Improves Slightly in August but Spending Intentions Remain Weak

Dutch consumer sentiment edged higher in August as households became somewhat more positive about the economic outlook, but willingness to make major purchases remained deeply negative despite easing inflation and continued wage growth.

KNMI Tests Hyper-Local Thunderstorm Alerts for Faster Severe Weather Warnings

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute has begun testing push notifications designed to warn people about severe thunderstorms up to fifteen minutes before they arrive, moving toward more localized alerts as disruptive summer wea...

Schiphol Expects Nearly Fourteen Hundred Daily Flights as Late-Summer Traffic Peaks

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is projecting an average of one thousand three hundred ninety-five flights a day through the final week of August, keeping pressure on airport operations and airspace while the Netherlands continues to debate a...

North Sea Surface Temperatures Reach Record Levels Off Dutch Coast

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute says North Sea surface temperatures off the Dutch coast have reached record levels this August, raising concerns about marine ecosystems, fisheries and changing weather conditions along the ...

Dutch Fibre Network Passes Eighty Percent Household Penetration

Fibre-optic networks now reach more than eighty percent of Dutch households, strengthening the country’s digital infrastructure and providing a broader connectivity base for technology hubs including Amsterdam and Eindhoven.

Dutch Government Contracts Conclusion to Develop National Basic Data Infrastructure

IT consultancy Conclusion has won a public tender to develop core components of the Dutch Basis Data Infrastructuur, a national system intended to support data exchange across government agencies and improve digital public services, plan...

Dutch Home Construction Remains Weak Despite Increase in Existing Housing Supply

Only about seven thousand five hundred newly built homes are being sold each quarter as high construction costs and permitting delays constrain new development, limiting the Netherlands’ ability to expand housing supply even as more exis...

ASML-Linked Chinese Company Seeks Stock Listing After Former Employee Intellectual Property Case

Chinese technology company Dongfang Jingyuan, led by a former ASML employee previously implicated in the theft of Dutch intellectual property, has applied for a Chinese stock-market listing, reviving concerns in the Netherlands over semi...

Dutch Government Updates Crypto and Global Minimum Tax Penalties Under EU Rules

The Netherlands has introduced revised administrative penalties covering cryptocurrency transaction reporting and the global minimum corporate tax under European Union rules known as DAC8 and DAC9, with temporary leniency for some first-...

Netherlands Finalises Four Additional Regional Train Carriages to Ease Cross-Border Congestion

The Dutch government has agreed to finance four additional regional train carriages, strengthening rail capacity between the French Riviera and Monaco and helping address commuter congestion on the cross-border network.

Atos Launches Sovereign Cloud Service for Dutch Public and Private Sector Data

Atos has introduced a sovereign cloud service designed to keep sensitive Dutch government and corporate data within the Netherlands, responding to concerns among public institutions and regulated industries over dependence on foreign clo...

Dutch Defence Ministry Deploys Offline Optical Data Transfer Technology for Secure Military Communications

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence has contracted LiveDrop and CGI to deploy technology that transfers sensitive data between screens and cameras without Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or radio signals, allowing military units to exchange information...

Dutch Government Faces Internal Civil Service Dispute Over Emancipation and Migration Policies

Internal emails obtained by investigative journalists show tensions among Dutch civil servants over attempts to use women’s and LGBTQ+ emancipation policies in support of anti-migration messaging, with officials raising concerns about th...

Low Rhine River Levels Threaten Dutch and German Inland Shipping

Exceptionally low water levels on the Rhine, following a prolonged lack of rainfall across its European catchment area, are forcing inland shipping operators to reduce cargo loads and raising the risk of higher freight costs and disrupti...

Port of Rotterdam Falls Out of Global Top Ten Container Ports as Asian Hubs Expand

The Port of Rotterdam remains Europe’s largest maritime hub but has dropped out of the world’s ten busiest container ports by volume, underscoring the growing dominance of Asian ports and pressure on Rotterdam to expand higher-value acti...

Dutch Housing Supply Rises as Landlords Sell Rental Properties Amid Policy Changes

The number of existing homes offered for sale in the Netherlands rose twenty-six percent in the second quarter from the previous quarter, with NVM and TU Delft data pointing to increased sales by landlords responding to tighter rent cont...

ASML and TNO Advance One Hundred Fifty Million Euro Photonic Chip Facility in Eindhoven

ASML is supplying specialized deep-ultraviolet lithography equipment to TNO for a new photonic chip testing and production facility at Eindhoven’s High Tech Campus, backed by the European Union’s PIX Europe program and aimed at expanding...

United States Advances Bill to Pressure Netherlands Into Halt of Advanced ASML Equipment Sales to China

The proposed Match Act would seek to force the Dutch government toward a near-total ban on exports of ASML’s advanced chipmaking equipment to China, intensifying pressure on the Netherlands and threatening a major source of revenue for E...

Near-Total Lunar Eclipse Follows Netherlands’ Biggest Solar Eclipse Since 1999

Dutch universities and observatories organized public events after a lunar eclipse darkened 93% of the Moon, following the country’s largest solar eclipse in 27 years and generating widespread public interest in astronomy.

Dutch Government Faces Pressure to Create Dedicated Agency for Disruptive Technologies

Dutch academics and technology executives are calling for a dedicated national agency to oversee disruptive technologies such as generative artificial intelligence and synthetic biology, arguing that existing institutions may not be equi...

Dutch Startup Hubs Develop Distinct Specialisms in Deep Tech, Cybersecurity and Logistics

A review of the Netherlands’ startup ecosystem shows cities increasingly developing distinct strengths, with Rotterdam focused on logistics and climate projects, The Hague on government technology and cybersecurity, and Eindhoven on deep...

Groningen Earthquake Renews Pressure Over Legacy of Dutch Gas Extraction

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake in northern Groningen has renewed local concerns over the effects of decades of natural gas extraction, adding pressure on the government to advance compensation and structural reinforcement for affected homeow...

Fifth Regional Heatwave Raises Concerns Over Conditions in Dutch Prisons and Asylum Centers

Temperatures above 34 degrees Celsius during the Netherlands’ fifth regional heatwave of the year have renewed concerns about heat exposure among vulnerable people in prisons, asylum centers and care facilities, prompting calls for upgra...

Raleigh Insolvency Disrupts Dutch Bicycle Retail Supply Chains

Insolvency proceedings involving the historic Raleigh bicycle brand are disrupting supply networks across the Dutch cycling retail market, while creating an opportunity for domestic bicycle manufacturers to gain market share.

Netherlands Condemns Israeli Settlement Expansion in the West Bank

The Dutch Foreign Ministry has formally condemned new Israeli government plans to expand civilian settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying the developments undermine regional peace efforts and the prospects for a two-state solution.

Dutch Health Inspectorate Fines Publishers Over Coverage of Weight-Loss Drugs

The Dutch health inspectorate has imposed fines totaling hundreds of thousands of euros on major publishing groups, including the owners of NRC, de Volkskrant and De Telegraaf, after ruling that coverage of weight-loss drugs including Oz...

Rotterdam Fires Two Officials After Corruption Probe Into Museum Construction Contracts

The municipality of Rotterdam dismissed two civil servants following a Dutch Public Prosecution Service investigation into alleged bribes and manipulated construction contracts linked to asbestos-removal work at Museum Boijmans Van Beuni...

Dutch Government Negotiates Supply Chain Disputes Involving ASML and Nexperia

Dutch officials have held high-level commercial talks aimed at resolving supply chain disputes involving semiconductor companies ASML and Nexperia, as The Hague seeks to protect the continuity of key domestic technology operations amid r...

Dutch Navy Expands Use of AI and Autonomous Drones to Protect North Sea Infrastructure

The Royal Netherlands Navy is integrating artificial intelligence, autonomous surface vessels and advanced robotics into efforts to monitor critical North Sea infrastructure, including offshore wind farms and subsea communications cables.

Eindhoven Approves €11 Million Property Purchase to Support ASML Campus Expansion

Eindhoven’s municipal council approved an €11 million property acquisition needed for the expansion of ASML’s manufacturing campus, underscoring the scale of local infrastructure support being directed toward the region’s semiconductor i...

Rotterdam Steps Up Industrial Decarbonization Projects at Europe’s Largest Port

Port of Rotterdam officials report a surge in commercial pilot projects involving green hydrogen, carbon capture and electrified logistics, as the port expands its role as a testing ground for industrial and maritime climate technologies.