Elections for the European Parliament are coming up across Europe between June 6 and 9, 2024. In the Netherlands, any European citizen can head to the polls on June 6 — but how, and why should you?
As Euronews explains, the European elections take place every five years, giving the 447 million European citizens a chance to vote for the 705 members who will represent them in the European Parliament.
The number of MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) elected depends on the country. In the Netherlands, voters will elect 31 MEPs.
What does the European Parliament do?
The European Parliament is part of the law-making process within the EU, meaning it must approve most proposed laws before they become law. It is the only directly elected institution of the European Union.
Who can vote?
To participate in the European elections, you must fulfil the following criteria:
You’re at least 18 years old on election day;
You’re a national of any EU country;
You’re registered to vote;
You’re not disqualified from voting.
Anyone who holds Dutch citizenship or is registered to vote as a non-Dutch EU citizen will have received a voting pass at their home address by now.
Note: If you’re an EU national living in the Netherlands and wish to vote, you had to register for it before Thursday, 23 April 2024. It is no longer possible to register to vote.
How can I vote?
If you are registered to vote — whether as a Dutch or non-Dutch EU citizen — you will head to the polls tomorrow, June 6, 2024.
Where you can vote depends on your municipality. Polling stations will be set up in places such as schools, museums, train stations, and churches.
Check out this map to find a stembureau (voting station) close to you. The polling station closest to your house should also be indicated on the front of your voting pass.
When you head out to vote, make sure to double-check that you have your voting pass and a form of identification on you. Happy voting!
Why does it matter?
Not sure why exactly you should participate in the elections? Let me tell you.
Your vote will decide which Members of the European Parliament will represent you in preparing new laws and will influence the election of the European Commission.
Essentially, voting for the European Parliament gives us a chance to collectively decide on the future of the European Union — addressing topics from the environment to consumer rights to the economy. 💪
Will you participate in the European elections tomorrow? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Who doesn’t love a good meme? They’re not only funny, they can also help cope with the stress and miseries in your life. 🥲
We’ve already given you the lowdown on some other top-class memes about living in the Netherlands. Heck, we’ve even made some ourselves (yes, we’re down with the kids!).
But you can never have too many memes in your Dutch life, so here’s a rundown of the top 20 funniest, Dutchiest memes.
Fill in the blank: Nobody does […] like the Netherlands. Did ‘bikes’ jump to mind? Windmills? …Directness? What about well-being? The Netherlands now officially has the second-highest ‘broad prosperity’ in the EU.
Broad prosperity basically means the levels of well-being of people across various parts of the country, as well as material prosperity, the NOS explains.
And when it comes to such well-being, only the Swedes are outdoing the Dutchies.
It’s looking positive…
The prosperity investigation, conducted by CBS, measures each country’s performance across various lifestyle and social topics to rank their well-being.
The Netherlands scores highly on themes of work and leisure, with almost 75% feeling positive about their work-life balance.
And all of those unashamedly curtainless windows are paying off — the Dutchies are among the most trusting countries.
This is down to the high proportion of people in the Netherlands who have weekly contact with family, friends or neighbours.
…Unless you’re house-hunting (or a woman)
But not all friendly meet-ups are just about sharing a stroopwafel with a smile.
You may not be surprised to find out the Netherlands scores lower on housing costs, especially as Dutchies spend more of their income on housing than ever.
Another negative result was women’s health, as the Netherlands scores relatively low when it comes to ‘healthy life expectancy for women’. 🤷♀️
In an effort to encourage bike use, the municipality of Amsterdam is giving away 3250 refurbished bicycles to city residents and aid organisations.
What’s more, the refurbished fietsen are coming from the many bicycle depots around the city that are too full for capacity. Nifty, right?
Most of the bikes are being given to refugees and asylum seekers who’ve never had cycling experience, and Amsterdam plans to use the bikes to teach more children how to cycle, reports Mobilieit.nl.
Easy and affordable
Melanie van der Horst, Amsterdam’s traffic alderman, wants residents to move around the city easily. And what better way to do so than by bike?
Culture doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Nor is it eternal. Rather, it’s built around the infrastructure we build in cities. And it can change. Fast.
Case in point: immigrants like us who very quickly adapt to cycling in the Netherlands. First we shape our streets; then they shape us. pic.twitter.com/okpQTBFHhj
— Melissa & Chris Bruntlett (@modacitylife) May 13, 2024
The city previously ran a pilot programme distributing around 300 bikes, which was a big success. Now, the programme is running on a bigger scale.
Several foundations are distributing the bicycles, and new partners can still register for the bike giveaway.
A thrifty initiative
This initiative is also curbing another problem.
According to Het Parool, tens of thousands of unclaimed bicycles are filling bicycle depots way past capacity, where incorrectly parked and abandoned bikes are stored.
Amsterdam has made room in the city budget to refurbish these old bicycles and get them to new owners in an effort to reduce the crowding of these depots.
What would you do with a free bicycle from the city? Tell us in the comments below!
Dutch music festivals have to be seen to be believed: Milkshake’s unapologetic drag shows and the Mysteryland animal heads cannot be missed.
Post-festival, you will emerge, stumbling out of the tents, glitter smeared on your face, mud on your shoes, with an enlightened look in your eyes, whispering, “Now I see” 👀.
If you’re a newcomer, it’s time to let go and lose yourself in the enigma of Dutch music festivals. Anyone who’s been to a Dutch festival knows that if you haven’t attended at least one of them, you haven’t really lived. ✨
Here are nine upcoming and unmissable Dutch music festivals for the summer of 2024.
1. Lowlands
For two splendid days in the late-August sun, a new, self-contained town emerges, and it’s called Lowlands.
That’s right, this festival is basically a separate 60,000-person civilization, with its own currency — take that, Disneyland — markets, local radio station, and newspaper.
Meanwhile, the music is a whirlwind of seamless transitions through all the favourite genres you can’t normally can’t choose between, such as world music, metal, electro, house, and of course, techno.
Do you feel it’s time to go off grid and escape society for a few days, but without having to sink-wash at truck stops or put yourself through the ordeal that is Dutch caravan culture?
Fear not: Lowlands’ luxury campsite includes hot showers, hot tubs, and its own real, flushable toilets.
(If that’s not living the dream, we don’t know what is. 🤷♀️)
⭐ 2024 Headliners: Queens of the Stone Age, Goldband, and Skrillex 📅 Dates: August 16-18, 2024 📍 Location: Walibi, Biddinghuizen
With performance art, including drag acts, and music ranging from house, disco, pop, techno, R&B, and dance hall, this event is all about self-expression, sexual liberation, and being “open-minded”. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Scantily clad attendees wear whatever they want — stuff that makes Lady Gaga’s early 2010 meat dress look like formal wear — because they don’t give a rat’s ass, and we are here for it.
⭐ 2024 Headliners: Sugababes, Trixie Mattel, Supertoys 📅 Dates: July 27 and 28, 2024 📍 Location: Westerpark, Amsterdam
Go big or go home: this Loveland festival is a mammoth techno and house music event that could only ever be fit for Sloterpark, Amsterdam’s biggest park that spans over 300 acres.
The event includes intricate lighting that will put your normal club’s meagre strobe lights to shame. ⚡️
Considering the techno genre is known for having few lyrics, there’s something sweet and universal about everyone wordlessly headbanging to drum-and-bass.
Ironically, it might also be the most environmentally friendly festival option on this list.
For those green activists among you who really “love” the “land” (hah), rest assured that you won’t be trashing these holy grounds.
That’s right, Loveland has gone sustainable with PET recycling.
This means there will be drink tokens, so you can keep refilling that solo cup over and over again and prevent waste. In other words, these people are saints, go support them. ♻️
⭐ 2024 Headliners: Dave Clarke, Eric Prydz, and Mind Against 📅 Dates: August 10 & 11, 2024 📍 Location: Sloterpark, Amsterdam
Strafwerk is dedicated to playing not just house music, but deep house music.
In case you’re scratching your head wondering what the difference between these two genres is, deep house is played at fewer beats per minute, which means it’s slower, more emo, and arguably cooler *cough*.
It also means you can dance more gently, swaying like a graceful, willowy reed in the wind — especially if you’re one of those people who, try as they might, can’t twerk to save their lives. 💁♀️
Even so, there are a good few aggressive techno numbers to jolt you awake if you start to feel a little too relaxed.
⭐ 2024 Headliners: Paula Temple, Justin Tinderdate, and Easttown 📅 Dates: August 17, 2024 📍 Location: Havenpark, Amsterdam
Are you longing for something trippy, psychedelic, terrifying, yet exhilarating? Mysteryland is a place where the basement of your subconscious can finally run free.
And so can you, as you scurry around like a woodland creature among rivers, hills, and ponds that surround the outskirts of the Dutch capital. 😶🌫️
Good news is, you can don a giant horse mask during the chi gong ceremonies performed by day, and then re-wear it again as you watch 300 artists performing a wide variety of “trippy” electronics with LED lights, by night.
They also have morning yoga on the campsite to unwind, and a “healing garden”, if you actually struggle to sleep at night after some of these “mysteries” unfold. 😵💫
⭐ 2024 Headliners: Artbat, Fedde le Grand, and Oliver Heldens 📅 Dates: August 30-September 1, 2024 📍 Location: Haarlemmermeer, just outside Amsterdam
Wanna hear some good ol’ pop music? Hey, there’s no shame about it — and Pinkpop Festival is the place for it! It’s one of the most popular festivals in the Netherlands, so definitely worth checking out. 🤘
Held yearly in Landgraaf, in the south of the country, it attracts tens of thousands of attendees from across the globe. The lineup always features a diverse mix of acts from rock, pop, indie, and electronic music, so there’s something for everyone.
Renowned for hosting legendary acts like The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and Metallica, Pinkpop has multiple big stages with simultaneous performances.
Wondering where you’re gonna stay? Well, Pinkpop offers not just a massive on-site campground (heaps of fun guaranteed!) but also more snazzy “GlamPink” huts.
⭐ 2024 Headliners: Ed Sheeran, Avril Lavigne, and Måneskin 📅 Dates: June 21-23, 2024 📍 Location: Landgraaf, Limburg
Every year this four-day “spectacle” with motorbike stunts and theatrics garners a huge crowd of 220,000 strangers joined together by their mutual love of performance and music.
Want to feel like you’re being serenaded by a soothing cabaret singer in a smokey jazz lounge one minute, and then bombarded by electrifying rock and roll guitars the next? 🎸 Zwarte Cross has everything.
There are about 150 different bands and 1,000 theatre acts, which are all a breath of fresh air compared to the usual repetitive club music you’re used to hearing.
You can also take the opportunity to immerse yourself in all things Dutch with full force — some of the best Dutch artists will be playing their most famous sing-alongs. 🇳🇱
⭐ 2024 Headliners: Armin van Buuren, Douwe Bob, and Ilse de Lange 📅 Dates: July 18-21, 2024 📍 Location: De Schans, Lichtenvoorde
We’re talking about guilty pleasures, including ABBA’s main bops, the Macarena, and the relentless Everybody Dance Now tune.
TIJDMASJIEN gives you the chance to hear them play with hyped-up friends, youths and old-timers alike, drunkenly bellowing the lyrics beside you — which, of course, we all know by heart — without an ounce of shame for one blissful night. 🕺
⭐ 2024 Headliners: yet to be announced 📅 Dates: September 14, 2024 📍 Location: Thuishaven, Amsterdam
This is a five-day event that will leave you feeling like you’ve been abducted by aliens — in the best way.
You’ll be submerged, from head to toe, in a wide spectrum of electronic music that leaves your ears ringing, heart racing, and strobe lights oozing out of every pore. 😮
Spread across the city of Amsterdam in 200 different locations, this ADE event isn’t limited to music. There will be films, exhibitions, documentaries, DJ showcases, and even masterclass demonstrations. 🎛
Any aspiring SoundCloud rappers should definitely get their butts over there to learn more about experimenting with electronic musical gear in the privacy of their homes.
⭐ 2024 Headliners: Afrojack, Martin Garrix, and Timbaland 📅 Dates: October 16-20, 2024 📍 Location: a range of music venues across Amsterdam, including Melkweg, Ziggo Dome, and NDSM
In 2023, it was reported that a whopping 197,000 homes cost more than €1 million to buy in the Netherlands — around one in 25 of all homes in the country.
According to the figures from data collector Calcasa, the number of “million homes” has quadrupled since 2019.
During this period, housing prices rose by up to 20%, gradually increasing the number of multi-million-euro homes in the Netherlands.
Million-euro cities and neighbourhoods
It probably comes as even less of a surprise when I tell you that Amsterdam has the most million homes in the country (around 20,000 homes), followed by The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht.
But unlike 10 years ago, million-euro homes are now spread throughout the country instead of just in the Randstad.
The municipality of Bloemendaal has the highest percentage of million-euro homes compared to all houses in the municipality, with more than half of the properties costing €1+ million to buy.
And the most expensive street in the country? That’s the Konijnenlaan in Wassenaar, where the average cost of a house is €3.1 million. 😅
For years, the most expensive neighbourhood in the Netherlands was in Wassenaar — but not anymore.As housing prices are skyrocketing country-wide, a new neighbourhood has taken the crown. 👑
And it is — *drumroll please* — the Diepenbrockbuurt in Amsterdam-Zuid.
Welkom to the Diepenbrockbuurt 💸
As Het Parool writes, the mainly pre-war houses in the Diepenbrockbuurt, which spreads on either side of the Zuider Amstelkanaal, have become more valuable in the past year.
On average, a home in this neighbourhood now costs a whopping €2.67 million.
As one lady told De Telegraaf in a TikTok interview, she bought her house in the Diepenbrockbuurt for 450,000 Guilders (around €230,000). Today, it’s worth €1.5 million.
Although the Diepenbrockbuurt is the most expensive neighbourhood in the Netherlands, the country’s most expensive street is the Konijnenlaan in Wassenaar.
Here, the average house had a value of €3.1 million in 2023. 😳
The investigation into Wednesday’s heartbreaking incident — in which a person was sucked into the engine of a KLM Cityhopper — has now been concluded. Here’s what we know.
According to the Marechaussee(the Dutch military police), the victim was a man who worked for a company at the airport.
The investigation revealed that he climbed into the engine of his own accord, which the Marechaussee confirmed was an act of suicide.
Which company the man worked for will not be disclosed. A spokesperson for the Marechaussee stated that “out of respect for the victim and the next of kin, [they] will not make any further announcements.”
Multiple witnesses
The engine in question belonged to one of KLM’s Embraer 190 Cityhoppers, which was bound for the Danish city of Billund and was about to taxi down the runway when the incident occurred.
Multiple passengers on the plane, as well as crew members on the ground, were reported to have witnessed the incident.
Are you (or is someone you know) struggling with mental health issues?
Your GP can refer you to a primary mental health provider (for counselling and online support) or suggest secondary care (for more complex issues, such as severe depression, ADHD, and anxiety disorders).
At a pinch, however, the website of the Dutch Suicide Prevention Foundation offers 24/7 anonymous chat options — yes, even in English. You can also call them at 0800-0113.
Nicki Minaj has cancelled her show at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam this Sunday. Concert organiser Mojo cites “last week’s events” as the reason for the sudden cancellation.
In case you missed it, the American rapper was arrested by Dutch authorities last weekend for carrying a stash of soft drugs in her luggage.
The outcome? A €350 fine and a spot on her Dutch criminal record.
As Het Parool reports, Nicki has now come forward about the incident — and she’s accused Schiphol’s military police of racism.
“Disgusting” treatment
During a livestream, Nicki expressed her frustration with Dutch authorities, whose behaviour she claims to have been racist and “disgusting” towards her.
She believes they decided to search her bags because of her skin colour and claimed the male officers seemed to enjoy the situation a little too much.
“I don’t know when I’ve ever felt this unhappy,” she shared with fans, “knowing that something is being done to you on purpose because you are a confident other race.”
“There was one lady there — all the rest were men — and I could tell she had a heart.”
“The [men’s] treatment was just disgusting, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. And yes, I’ve been to jail before. It has nothing to do with if you’ve been to jail before.”
“Due to the events of last week, the June 2 Nicki Minaj show in Ziggo Dome Amsterdam has been cancelled. Buyers will automatically receive a refund for their purchase,” Mojo writes on their website.
Dutch authorities deny the allegations
So, what does the Koninklijke Marechaussee (Dutch Military Police) say about all this?
Well, a spokesperson told Sky News that Minaj’s arrest was “normal procedure when somebody is trying to pass border control with drugs in their luggage.”
“No matter what your background is, who you are, where you come from or where you are going,” a spokesperson also told ANP.
What are your thoughts on Nicki Minaj’s arrest? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Dutch doctors’ reluctance towards prescribing antibiotics might be a tale as old as time, but new research shows that some also refuse to take migrant patients seriously —all because of a harmful myth about their pain tolerance.
The harmful story goes that ‘migrants have a higher pain threshold’, and it’s just that — a story. But it’s not stopping some Dutch healthcare providers from treating them differently.
Research by the scientific journal BMJ Open proves that this isn’t just conjecture.
Investigating discrimination in Dutch healthcare, their study reveals shocking findings for migrants, as summarised by NU.nl.
Dutch denial
Investigating the prejudice of healthcare providers in the Netherlands is a challenge.
Associate professor of medicine at Amsterdam UMC, Jeanine Suurmond, discovered this when her attempts were repeatedly denied.
Speaking to NU.nl, she explains that when it came to migrant discrimination, “I have sometimes been told that this would not be an issue in Dutch healthcare”.
Then why does the new research show that over 25% of Dutch patients with a migrant background felt their health problems were dismissed because of their origin?
Risking patients’ health
So, this is bigger than just a few pain complaints being ignored, but a dangerous attitude problem.
“When healthcare providers do not take the complaints and pain of patients of colour seriously or have misconceptions about this, the patient does not receive fair care,” Charifa Zemouri, lead author of the BMJ Open article, tells NU.nl.
Working with expats has opened my eyes to Dutch healthcare being a dystopian bureaucracy.
scene: group of migrant engineers chatting
"I got my Dutch GP to prescribe me medication!" "How did you manage to do that!" *sounds of amazement, admiration, shock, laughter*
And it’s a common European bias, as studies across the continent show that “medical students are less likely to choose strong anaesthesia for people with a migration background”, Movisie researcher Hanneke Felten explains.
So the evidence is already pretty damning — and then you hear the stories some migrants shared about their healthcare experiences.
The study puts forward a number of concerning case studies.
For example, one man tells of how his wife was initially accused of pretending to be in pain because, culturally, Caribbeans are considered more “dramatic.”
She was diagnosed with cancer after finally being taken seriously.
How did it get to this?
Receiving less pain relief because of your skin colour certainly sounds like something from the dark ages.
And sadly, that’s exactly where this prejudice comes from — the ‘higher pain threshold’ myth has its origins in the history of slavery, according to Zemouri and other experts.
The horrifying reality is that claiming non-white enslaved people could endure pain better than white people was a way for Dutch slave owners to justify brutal mistreatment.
Another contributing problem is medical consultancy centres spreading misinformation to healthcare providers, which informs the care they give.
NU.nl reached out to one such expertise provider, Pharos, about a false statement on their website claiming Moluccan and Indian elderly people “often have a high pain threshold”.
Pharos removed the passage shortly after their questions, but a lot of their information remains outdated. 👀
So, where do we go from here? Well, to enjoy a healthcare system without such prejudices, Zemouri encourages providers to “stop blaming health disparities on the patient and take action.”
Have you had similar problems with Dutch healthcare? Let us know in the comments below.
