If you’ve just welcomed a little one into your life, the Dutch have just introduced a special treat for you. From August 2nd (hey, that’s today), you’re entitled to 9 weeks of paid parental leave. 👩🍼
In total, parents have the right to 26 weeks of unpaid leave after having kids, which can be used until the child is 8 years old.
Now, 9 out of these 26 weeks will be paid, which is an improvement from the previous arrangement. 🤷♀️
The catch(es)
But, it wouldn’t be the Netherlands without some bureaucratic catches and fine print. 🙄
The first catch is: If you want your 9 weeks of paid leave, you have to take them within the first year of your child’s life.
If you don’t want to, or if you’re not able to, the 9 weeks can still be used later — but they will be unpaid.
This brings us to the second significant catch to the new Dutch parental leave arrangement: you’ll only get 70% of your wage paid during your paid time off.
Now, 70% might be plenty for some — at least if you’re a parent in a double-income household.
Though, for many low/single income households, 9 weeks on 70% income might just not be feasible.
The advantages
On a more positive note, these rules apply to biological and non-biological parents alike, and they apply to parents of children born before August 2nd 2022.
Another positive development is that parents of twins are entitled to twice as much (quick maths tells us that is 18 weeks of paid parental leave). Makes sense if you ask us; double the work = double the need for time off.
Although many will say the new system is an improvement on the previous one, the Netherlands is still lagging behind many other European countries when it comes to parental leave benefits.
What do you think of the new system? Should we celebrate the improvement or call for better terms? Tell us in the comments below!
It’s official, folks! Today, the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, has been in office for 4,311 days, making him the longest-serving PM in Dutch history.
After being in office for what equals 11 years and more than nine months (!!), Rutte snatched the title from the former CDA Prime Minister, Ruud Lubbers, who served as PM from 1982 until 1994, reports the NOS.
So, let’s take a look at Rutte’s record-breaking political history — including the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Rutte’s first cabinets
Rutte emerged as the leader of the VVD in 2006 after a fierce battle for the position that almost split the party. Afterwards, it some him some time to find his footing in Dutch parliamentary politics, but in 2010 he steered the VVD to victory and secured his seat as the first VVD Prime Minister.
His first cabinet, the so-called Rutte I, was a minority cabinet that fell in 2012 after the PVV leader Gert Wilders withdrew his support.
Rutte II followed after one of the fastest formations ever (in stark contrast to this year’s formation, if we may add 🙃) and was in power for the remaining duration of Rutte’s time in office. Lasting from 2012 until 2016, it became the longest-serving post-war cabinet in the Netherlands.
Did you know that Rutte has earned the nickname Teflon Mark because no scandal seems to stick to him? Image: Depositphotos
Rutte III and IV
The Rutte III cabinet followed in October 2016, but this time the VVD needed the support of the CDA, D66, and ChristenUnie to form a majority.
For a while, Rutte continued to charm his way out of any potential scandals — rocking up to the Binnenhof on his bike and smiling through his *cough cough* bad English.
But in January 2021, shit really hit the fan as a result of the parliamentary investigations of the toeslagenaffaire (childcare allowance affair).
One of the biggest Dutch political scandals in recent times, the toeslagenaffaire revealed that the Tax and Customs Administration had spent seven years wrongly accusing 26,000 parents of submitting fraudulent benefit claims.
Rutte III fell (hard) soon after the scandal was brought to light, and elections were scheduled for March 2021.
However, you hardly noticed as Rutte and the rest of the implicated ministers continued to serve on a demissionary status. Of course, a few did resign, but Rutte stayed on to steer the country through the coronavirus. 😅
Is anyone else noticing how Rutte is raking in records? Shortest cabinet formation, longest cabinet formation, longest-serving cabinet, longest-serving time in office — phew!
What do you think of Rutte’s time in office? Tell us in the comments!
If you plan on travelling to the Netherlands or practically anywhere in Europe in 2023, you may be in need of an ETIAS visa waiver.
The ETIAS visa waiver is an authorisation which allows foreign travellers to enter Schengen countries for a total stay of 90 days per entry.
Whether you’re going on vacation or on a business trip, if you’re a visa-exempt traveller (meaning you can enter Europe without applying for a visa), you’ll be required to register with ETIAS for short stays by November 2023 — otherwise, you could be refused entry.
If you don’t know where to start or whether you actually need an ETIAS visa waiver to enter the Netherlands, we’ve got all the information you need!
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Why do I need an ETIAS visa waiver?
From 2023 onwards, 22 European Union countries and 4 non-EU members will implement the ETIAS system (European Travel Information and Authorisation System).
This means that the ETIAS visa waiver will become a requirement for visa-exempt travellers heading to many EU countries:
Other countries that have recently joined the EU, such as Croatia and Cyprus, haven’t yet signed the agreement for the ETIAS program but are expected to do so soon.
Most EU countries will require an ETIAS starting November 2023. Image: DutchReview/Made with MapChart
Once the system is implemented, foreign citizens who don’t need a visa to enter Europe will need to complete an ETIAS registration before travelling to the orange-coloured countries for short stays.
Warning: The ETIAS visa waiver is not a substitute for a student or work visa. So, if you need a visa to enter the Netherlands for your work or studies, you will still need to apply for a travel visa to enter.
Why are EU countries implementing the ETIAS system?
The main goal of the ETIAS travel permit is to strengthen security at the borders of the Schengen passport-free zone, which includes the Dutch border.
With ETIAS, countries will prescreen visa-exempt travellers and look for potential security or health risks before travellers even reach the area.
Once you do have your ETIAS visa waiver, you’ll be able to travel anywhere in the Schengen Area as a visa-exempt citizen.
When should I apply for it?
With the ETIAS system being implemented in November next year, it will only be possible to apply for the travel permit closer to that time.
If you’re dreading going to an embassy or doing all the paperwork, we’re glad to tell you that that won’t be necessary at all — the application process is done 100% online through a short application form.
How can I apply for an ETIAS visa waiver?
The ETIAS registration process is a quick and easy questionnaire about your basic personal details, so it should only take you a matter of minutes to finish.
You won’t need to scramble through all your old files to search for your birth certificate or any paper that says you actually exist. The only document you’ll need is your passport. 🎉
Though you will need to do a couple of other things to get the job done, these include:
Completing the online ETIAS application form
Provide the required information (passport details, email address, etc.)
Pay the ETIASapplication fee (€7) with a debit or credit card
After your ETIAS visa waiver gets approved, it will be electronically linked to your passport — although it’s advised to have it printed just in case. 🥸
In the very rare case it gets declined, you’ll receive an email with information on how to continue with the process.
Tip: If you’re someone with dual nationality, make sure to use the same passport when applying for the ETIAS visa waiver and use it later to travel to Europe.
How long will an ETIAS authorise my entry?
The ETIAS visa waiver will provide you with a multiple-entry travel authorisation to all 26 Schengen countries.
And, there’s no need to keep applying for the visa waiver each time you travel since it’s valid for three years starting from the date it’s issued.
So, as a visa-exempt citizen, as long as your passport hasn’t expired or you’ve reached your three-year mark, you’ll be good to enter those countries without having to even think about it.
Are you one of the lucky travellers that have to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver next year? Tell us in the comments below!
An unsuspecting magnet fisher pulled a dead body out of Amsterdam’s Oudezijds Voorburgwal canal on Monday.
Amsterdam police confirmed the events to AD at the site of the discovery. It is unknown who the person is, or how they ended up in the canal.
“The police are currently investigating what exactly happened,” said a spokesperson for Politie Amsterdam.
The unsuspecting fisherman was magnet fishing, an activity where a fishing rod with a large magnet attached is thrown into the water in search of metal objects.
It is unknown how the activity brought the body to the surface or the magnet fisher’s condition.
If you thought we were moving towards cooler days after an unusually hot summer, you’re in for a steamy surprise. August is likely to be warmer than normal as well! ☀️
Not only that, but the weather might also be drier than normal, in combination with an average temperature rate about one and three degrees higher than the usual 20 degrees.
Warm air incoming
The first ten days of the month will be marked by a warm current from the southwest, writes NU.nl, bringing us a nice tropical breeze to end the summer with. 💨
Despite some rain and thunderstorms, it’ll mostly be filled with pleasant summer weather, with temperatures climbing up to the 30-degree mark in some local areas.
Off to a hot start
The first week starts rather cloudy in most parts of the country, with occasional showers and only a few peeks of sun.
That will quickly change, however, as the next few days will give us up to 27 degrees in most places. As usual, Limburg is the warmest area with over 30-degree weather, but the southeast and east will be quite hot in general.
From Thursday towards the end of the week, we will see a decent amount of rain (particularly in the middle of the country), and temperatures will be dropping to the low 20s.
Fall is near
Although August will be unusually hot, there’s no getting around the fact that we’re headed towards the end of the summer here in the Netherlands.
So, it’s no surprise that the middle of the month is less clear-cut summer-y than the first part. Temperatures are likely to stay high in the middle of the month, but the details are still a bit up in the air (hehe 😉).
The final ten days of August will tease us with some slightly cooler temperatures (and an expected average of 18 degrees), but nothing too dramatic, according to the weather gods over at Weerplaza.
How will you spend the last few weeks of summer? Tell us in the comments below!
From August 1, 2022 onwards, new rules are entering the workplace in the new Transparent and Predictable Employment Conditions Act — which offers both rights and obligations for employees.
While there are only a few new rules coming into place, the new act will offer more rights, regularity, and stability to employees in the Netherlands.
What are the rules?
The new act and its rules have a goal of improving the position of employees in the Netherlands, writes NU.nl.
Reimbursing your training costs
This new law makes training for employees much easier since employers must ensure that the training is completely paid for.
This rule only goes for legally entitled training, so if it falls under a collective labour agreement or the required training which is necessary to work at your job.
In addition to training costs, your employers should account for all other additional costs such as transport and material.
Easier access to side jobs
Starting from August, new and past employment contracts will allow current employees to work a side job next to their regular employment.
This is unless your employer has a good enough reason to refuse that. For instance, if you’re working too many hours or working at a competitor company.
Though, in order to organise all of that, it also means that employees must declare their additional work hours and ancillary activities to their employers before starting the new job, explains Dutch lawyer Thijs Van Liempd to Nu.nl.
With regularity comes obligation
Where more workplace regularity exists, a higher level of obligation follows, particularly for those working irregular hours. 😬
For example, on-call workers and employers must organise their work hours in advance. If the employer decides to call them outside the agreed times, the workers may refuse.
But, this also means that staff must come to work during hours that they indicated to their boss, or else it can be seen as a refusal to work, says van Liempd.
What do you think of these new laws? Will they affect you? Tell us in the comments below!
We all know the Dutch: cheese-enjoying, beer-drinking, bicycle experts. But it seems even these cycling veterans can get spooked around e-bikes.
The residents of Amsterdam feel endangered by how fast electric bicycles speed along bicycle paths.
According to a panel survey by AT5, a whopping 80% of participants would agree to a maximum speed limit on these paths.
Fast and furious
Of more than 1900 participants, 75% said e-bikes made cycle paths feel less safe, including e-bike owners themselves.
“The average Amsterdam bike path has turned into a kind of race track,” says one participant. Another participant reported how stressed they feel when biking around e-bikes: “Someone keeps unexpectedly tearing past behind you.”
Zoom, zoom! In 2018, #ebikes outsold traditional bikes for the first time in the Netherlands. In total, consumers rode away with 409,400 e-bikes, an increase of 40% compared to 2017. Read more: https://t.co/FvxUPxPR1s
Many respondents do see the advantages of an e-bike, especially as a replacement for more polluting methods of travel, like mopeds and scooters.
But even with Amsterdam’s bike lanes rid of mopeds and scooters, speed remains an issue. E-bikes can easily travel 25 kilometres an hour, which makes them dangerous in a bike path with others.
One study by VeiligheidNL shows that e-bikes are increasingly involved in bicycle accidents. For example, victims who use e-bikes are more likely to need emergency treatment for their injuries compared to someone who uses a regular bike.
People want speed limits
There are a few proposals for what to do with e-bikes. A vast majority of surveyed participants, the Amsterdam city council, and the Cyclists’ Union agree that a maximum speed limit for e-bikes is a good idea.
An elderly lady just had to cross the road because of this litter. I’m a free market sort of guy but we have to get some rules in place around the obscene proliferation of these ebikes and scooters on every other street in london. pic.twitter.com/hAZaBb6mce
Technically, e-bikes aren’t supposed to travel faster than 25 kilometres an hour, but there are special apps that can increase the speed of an e-bike. At the moment, there’s no proper ban on these boosts.
On the streets
Other participants suggest moving e-bikes to the road, like mopeds and scooters, but this measure is more divisive. One participant says it would be good for the safety of regular cyclists but a huge detriment to the safety of e-bikers.
“The elderly on electric bicycles are a completely different category than meal deliverers on their fast bicycles and they behave differently than parents who take their children to school with electric cargo bicycles.”
What do you think of a speed limit for e-bikes in the cities? Tell us in the comments below!
However, in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the numbers have been climbing well above the 20% mark, almost twice as bad as here in the Netherlands.
The dire situation in the Baltic countries is likely caused by their high dependence on Russian gas.
What is the eurozone?
The eurozone is a group of 19 European Union member states who have adopted the euro as their primary legal currency.
Eurozone members: Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Greece, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Raising interest rates
To deal with the price increase, banks like the European Central Bank (ECB) are jacking up their interest rates. The ECB actually increased by 0.5 percentage points last week.
As the Netherlands is preparing itself for another possible wave of COVID-19 this fall, strengthened protection on the individual as well as the public level is necessary.
Sunny-side up, Dutchies! 🌞 The weather gods have blessed us with some clear and welcoming skies for the next few days.
It’s safe to say that the weather this summer has been a stroke of luck for the Dutch (apart from that one very hot day… but we don’t talk about that 😬).
Sure, there were the occasional clouds that brought a few days of rain, but overall the sun was here to stay.
Sunny with a slight chance of rain
According to Weerplaza, this weekend will see some clouds, a teensy bit of rain, and a whole lot of sun. 🥳
Today, the southwestern part of the Netherlands will experience some peak sun hours, with a chance of a local shower falling inland.
What will the temperature bring? Folks can expect around 23 degrees with a slight wind chill. It’s going to get pretty cool later on in the night, though, when it drops to around 13 degrees. 🥶
As for tomorrow, the sun will shine brightly through the clouds with warm temperatures fluctuating between 24 and 27 degrees.
Sunday will have some rain — but have no fear! The sun is still set to shine and keep the dag warm! So, you might just be able to fire up a BBQ at your local park. 🌭
What will next week look like?
After the weekend, we’ll see the weather continue to swing with a mix of sun, clouds, and an occasional appearance from our old enemy, rain. 🌧️
Temperatures will creep into the mid and high-20s. It might even hit 30 degrees, bringing some of that tropical warmth back again. Enjoy, folks! 🌴
How will you enjoy this weekend’s weather? Tell us in the comments below! 👇
