Around 550,000 households in the Netherlands have trouble paying their energy bill — reports the TNO.
Many of these Dutch households are in what’s called energiearmoede (energy poverty), which is caused by a rise in gas prices.
On top of that, half the population are not able to adequately insulate their homes.
Worse in the northeast
The problem is especially present in the northeast of the Netherlands. Many families in the region spend 13-20% of their income on energy alone. 😞
The study also states that three-quarters of the households in energy poverty are renting from housing associations, 12% of which rent privately and 12% owns a home.
Sustainable energy can help to reduce the overall energy bill, but this is not an option for many families. This is due to the fact that many tenants don’t have control over their homes.
Also, implementing sustainable energy in the home can save more in the long term, but getting started may be too costly for many households.
“If the gas price continues to rise, some households in this group will still have a payment problem,” says Peter Mulder, the author of the study.
What are your thoughts on this situation? Let us know in the commentsbelow!
As of September 25, cafés, restaurants, entertainment and sports venues will be required to ask their indoor customers for a corona pass — at least, that’s the official plan. However, businesses will not be immediately fined if they admit people without a pass.
Ever since the official announcement of this new measure during the latest press conference, the message from many hospitality workers, business owners, and even the mayor of Amsterdam, has been simple — it’s not possible.
These sectors do not have the staff to required to check every patron for their corona pass, meaning that many will not even ask for the proof.
No immediate fine — but only if it doesn’t continue
While the cabinet has set aside a whopping €45 million to fund the job of checking these passes, the task remains too large. As a result, municipalities will only be checking ‘locations that they consider to be the greatest risk of contamination and/or non-compliance’, according to the ministry.
In the cases where they do discover that a businesses has not asked its patrons for their corona passes, there will only be a fine if they continue to fail to ask, RTL Nieuws reports.
While a warning may sound nice, the Dutch government are playing no games.Once a business does get fined, it’s a hefty one.
A business may receive an order subject to penalty of anywhere between €2,500 and €10,000. In extreme cases, the establishment may even be shut down.
What are your thoughts on this upcoming measure? Tell us in the comments below!
In a racial profiling claim filed against the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee — a judge in The Hague overruled the case as there’s no conflict found between the prohibition of discrimination and the Marechaussee’s protocol.
The Royal Marechaussee (Koninklijke Marechaussee), one of the four branches of the Dutch Armed Forces, perform military and civilian duties such as border control, airport security, and can be deployed worldwide in certain cases.
The case filed by Amnesty International, NJCM, Radar Foundation, Control Alt Delete, and two individuals, was aimed at the Marechaussee’s Mobile Security Surveillance (Mobiel Toezicht Veiligheid — MTV) checks. The Marechaussee carries out these checks on roads, trains, water transport, and air traffic for people who travel from a Schengen country.
The complaint detailed that people with dark skin are more likely to be picked from the queue for an intensive check — an incident that happened to Mpanzu Bamenga when coming back to the Netherlands from a Rome trip.
Nationality vs. ethnicity
When picked out of a line by the Marechaussee for an extra check in Eindhoven Airport, Bamenga asked what was going on and he received “we are looking for criminals and asylum seekers” as a response.
According to state lawyer Cécile Bitter, who was defending the Marechaussee’s case today, there’s no ethnic discrimination happening — however, nationality can be a reason to stop someone.
Based on the judge’s ruling, a person’s ethnicity can be an indication of their nationality or residence status. “That is not necessary, but it is possible. It is also important that ethnicity is never the only reason for control.” 🤔
Jelle Klaas, the complainants’ lawyer, expects an appeal for today’s verdict — stating that “the door to discrimination is wide open. That is harmful, for everyone in the Netherlands, but also for the military police.”
Follow DutchReview on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news from the Netherlands.
Between the Dutch government’s shifting focus to underground CO2 storage and raising the limit on CO2 that may be stored with government money — environmental organizations are outraged.
📢 When: The outgoing Dutch government allocated additional money in support of underground CO2 storage which was announced in the Budget Memorandum released yesterday.
👀 How: The policy includes raising the agreed ceiling on the amount of CO2 that can be stored underground. Companies’ CO2 emissions are captured and stored under the North Sea instead of being released into the atmosphere.
😬 Why: Environmentalists’ concern is that CO2 releasing companies who are allowed to store large quantities of CO2 underground will be less inclined to shift their production methods into sustainable systems.
According to environmental organization Natuur en Milieu, the government “has succumbed to the fossil fuels lobby.” They call the new plans incomprehensible, unnecessary, and in direct conflict with the agreements made in the Climate Accords.
Greenpeace and The Dutch Association for Sustainable Energy (NVDE) share the concern regarding the government’s decision to raise the limit from the previously agreed on 7.2 megatons by 2.5 Mton.
Counter points
Not everyone is in agreement with the environmental organizations’ concerns it seems — According to State Secretary Dilan Yesilgöz of Economic Affairs and Climate, CO2 underground storage should be looked at as a quick and cost-efficient way to reduce CO2 emission.
Chairman of the Climate Accords progress Ed Nijpels believes it’s too early for concerns as he stresses that more information will follow from the government in the following days.
As Nijpels sees these issues, even though more money was allocated in support of underground CO2 storage, the ratio of the companies’ subsidies between sustainability measures will not change.
What do you think of the latest climate budget updates in the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments below!
And while an ecovillage may not be a Dutch invention or that much of a new idea, it is progressive, and just like TikTok, it is currently proving to be extremely popular in the Netherlands.
More and more Dutch people are becoming interested in sustainable living forms, which involves the construction of ‘green’ towns, villages, and climate-neutral houses. And this is where ecovillages come in.
Ecovillages are built with sustainable materials and run on green energy. There are many of them in the Netherlands, and more are being built every day.
Firstly, what is an ecovillage?
Ecovillages are communities who aim to be socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Most have a population size of between 50 and 150 people. Although some are somewhat small, large ecovillages can accommodate up to 2,000 people and consist of networks of smaller sub-communities.
What do eco-villages do?
An ecovillage is basically meant to be proof that a sustainable way of life is possible. One that is much different from the status quo. In ecovillages, much attention is paid to constructing residential buildings with natural, reusable materials, generating energy and reducing ecological footprints.
In addition, they also produce their own food, reuse and recycle water and raw materials, and find new ways of collaborating and living together in harmony with each other.
The initiative hopes to become more popular as Europe aims to become carbon neutral in the coming years. This article aims to highlight some really cool ecovillages that are currently in the works or will be built in the future in the Netherlands. Let’s run through them.
Boekel Ecovillage
Boekel Ecovillage is a fantastic project of about 36 sustainable homes. A system of innovative and circular homes makes it easy for residents to provide themselves with food, drinking water and energy.
Boekel Ecovillage is special because the homes, offices and the community centre provide heating and hot water by a sustainable battery made of stone! Yes, stone!
The system, developed by Cees van Nimwegen, which consists of a basalt-based battery that can store large quantities of electricity generated by solar panels and wind turbines, is currently in a trial phase in Boekel and hopes to become very popular in the coming years.
Land of Áine (Noordeland) Ecovillage
The Land van Áine ecovillage — previously known as Noordeland Ecovillage — is currently being built on a former potato flour factory in Ter Apel. It borrowed its new name from the Celtic moon goddess Áine, an Irish Goddess of summer, love, protection, fertility, wealth and sovereignty. A perfect name for a thriving residential community.
The ecovillage has carved out space meant for future houses for a total of 50 to 100 people, a village hall, workshops, offices and even a food forest! A large part of the houses will be built with sustainable materials such as straw, clay and wood, but there is also room for mobile homes and tiny houses.
The agricultural and construction systems adhere to permaculture philosophy, where residents work with, rather than against nature.
Bergen Ecovillage
One ecovillage that is slowly taking shape can be found in Bergen. The pioneers have been living in temporary housing on the former mobilisation site on the outskirts of Bergen for more than seven years.
In those years, they have cultivated a gigantic vegetable garden, installed a hundred solar panels, and organised festivals, theatre performances, etc.
As soon as they have their permits from the city council, the ecovillage plans to build 25 sustainable houses on the site, and there is still room for aspiring residents! They also organise guided tours for those who are curious about their way of life.
Minitopia
Minitopia has been building ecovillages in several places in the Netherlands since 2016. Their first adventure started on a former GGD site in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and moved to a former recycling centre in the same city.
Every house in Minitopia is unique and, in most cases, built by the residents themselves. All homes can be dismantled or easily moved to another location, creating a circular ecovillage. This is quite necessary because this particular ecovillage is only permitted to be at its current location until 2023.
Furthermore, there are also new Minitopia ecovillages in the works in Roosendaal and Eindhoven.
Note: A circular building is one that’s constructed using materials and products leased rather than purchased, and every part of the building can be reused, remanufactured or recycled at the end of its life.
De Jelt Ecovillage
De Jelt Ecovillage is an affordable and circular residential area for people who want to live collectively and sustainably. This ecovillage cooperative promotes a do-it-yourself housing initiative and was founded by 50 members with a lot of experience in the circular construction and cultural-social sector.
They are always on the lookout for new locations to build ecovillages. One of their plans is to build a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 50 sustainable houses in the Amsterdam and Utrecht area.
Ecovillages are the future and are definitely here to stay. A lot of them organise tours of their villages or towns and also have slots open for newcomers looking to join the community.
Visit their websites, take a look at their (latest) initiatives, and learn more about them. You never know, an ecovillage might just be what you need to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.
What do you think about ecovillages, and do you think you could live in one?
There was no golden carriage, no waving from the balcony, no pomp and circumstance. However, yesterday was indeed Budget Day in the Netherlands — and though you might not have noticed the ceremony, you’ll definitely notice what it’ll do to your paycheck.
Namely, the fact that Dutch government has (finally!) factored hybrid working into the new Tax Plan for 2022. So, people who continue to work from home can receive €2 per day, tax-free, to cover their extra costs, reports the NOS. 🥳
After one and a half years of complaining about the extra costs of electricity, gas, toilet paper, and the lack of shitty office coffees, the Dutch finally won their work from home compensation.
Moral of the story: complain long enough and you’ll get what you want? 👀
The employers’ association AWNB is expecting a lot of enthusiasm for the new scheme. “We expect that many employers will give a home-work allowance. The administrative burden will not be too bad, because many employers nowadays also have an automated system for how many days people work at home or at the office,” they told the NOS.
But too late?
According to the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV), €2 should be enough to cover the additional costs of water, electricity, heating, coffee, tea and toilet paper when working from home.
But although collective labour agreements have now been made for the tax-free work from home compensation, not everyone will benefit.
The FNV highlights that it’s mainly the government, financial, and IT sectors that’ll benefit from the new Tax Plan. Many other sectors are already sending their employees back to the office — without any compensation.
People on Twitter also picked up on this:
Ik gun ambtenaren alles maar het is te gek voor woorden dat de zorg moet smeken en bidden voor hogere lonen en dat de ambtenaren eea zo maar gaan krijgen. Oa een thuiswerkvergoeding ??!!
“I wish civil servants everything, but it is too crazy for words that the care must beg and pray for higher wages and that the civil servants will get things just like that. A work from home allowance??!!”
Het contrast wordt nu wel erg groot. Ondernemers gaan op de fles, jongeren vereenzamen achter hun laptop, de medische nevenschade is enorm en er is geen geld voor de zorgmedewerkers. Maar ambtenaren krijgen een thuiswerkvergoeding?!#COVID19#PCRgate#FVDhttps://t.co/Bym5DQDqEL
“The contrast is now very great. Entrepreneurs are going bankrupt, young people are lonely behind their laptops, the medical collateral damage is enormous and there is no money for the healthcare workers. But civil servants get a work-from-home allowance?!”
Choose between tax free work from home or travel allowance
For a person who works from home full time, the new allowance will mean receiving just under €500 net per year.
People who work partly from home and partly from the office must make agreements with their employer about which days they’ll receive the work from home allowance and which days they’ll receive a travel allowance. The two cannot be combined in one day. 🤷♀️
What do you think of a tax-free work from home allowance? Tell us in the comments below!
Support for King Willem-Alexander is currently at an all-time low. Meanwhile, he’s due for a raise — in 2022 the King’s salary will, for the first time, be more than €1 million.
Every year Dutchies are surveyed on how they feel about the king, the royal family, and well… politics in general.
The most recent survey showed that confidence in King Willem-Alexander has declined. On King’s Day this year, 57% of Dutchies indicated that they have confidence in the monarch. The NOS reports that around Budget Day, it’s now only 44%.
2020 was a bad year for the King
In the run-up to King’s Day 2020 — the days when we were making sourdough and lockdowns were still kind of peaceful — 76% of all Dutchies indicated that they had a reasonable amount of confidence in the King. By December 2020, that number had plummeted to 47% — not his year!
Despite the overwhelming decline of Dutchies confidence in the King, the monarch will still be getting a salary increase next year, RTL Nieuws reports. His constitutional benefit will increase from €998,000, so that for the first time ever it exceeds a whopping €1 million. 😳 💸
What are your thoughts on the dwindling confidence in the King, and his €1 million salary? Tell us in the comments below!
It’s the third Tuesday of September. On this Prinsjesdag, King Willem-Alexander delivered his annual speech from the Hague with a reflection on last year’s events.
As the annual event goes, Prinsjesdag (Prince’s Day) or Budget Day is the ceremonial day of events when the Dutch government presents its budget plan for the new year for legislative approval.
However, due to the scaled-back coronavirus measures of the event, added to the limitations of the Dutch cabinet since it’s in an outgoing position, this wasn’t exactly traditional in that sense.
Handling of earthquake damage in Groningen, too slow & laborious. And because of critical flaws in child-benefit system, government did people serious injustice, both literally & figuratively. In both cases, mistakes must be remedied.
Much like last year’s event, no big Prinsjesdag ceremonious bells and whistles happened this year: no golden carriage tour, no balcony scene, and the event was moved again to the Grote Kerk for the extra space as opposed to its traditional Ridderzaal location.
Additionally, since the current Dutch cabinet has resigned without a replacement yet, minor budget suggestions on existing Dutch matters for 2022 such as housing and CO2 emissions were given by the outgoing Dutch Minister of Finance, Wopke Hoekstra.
What’s referred to in the Netherlands as a sober event was more casual, short, and sweet. ✨
The King’s speech
King Willem-Alexander’s speech this year was wrapped in a tone of hope about the economy and community to the people of the Netherlands: “Fortunately, the Dutch economy is in good shape, certainly in comparison with other countries. That is a testament to the Netherlands’ innovative business community, and it offers hope to people who are currently on the sidelines.” the King noted.
Meanwhile, all major economic decisions were temporarily placed on hold for the future cabinet. “Major new choices for the longer term are up to the next cabinet. At the same time, that does not relieve the incumbent government of the obligation to do what is necessary,” says King Willem-Alexander in his speech.
The King’s speech this year also drew a bigger emphasis on reflecting on last year’s major events in the Netherlands. From coronavirus losses, the murder of journalist Peter R. de Vries, and flood as a result of climate change.
In light of last’s year events in the Netherlands, the King said in his Prinsjesdag speech, “We can handle a lot.”
What do you think of this year’s Prinsjesdag? Let us know in the comments below.
The RIVM has released its weekly coronavirus figures from September 14 to September 21. The number of hospitalisations and deaths have decreased even further compared to the previous week.
Over the past week, the RIVM has reported 13,347 new infections in the Netherlands. This is a decrease compared to last week’s report of 15,976 infections.
The percentage of positive tests also decreased slightly to8% compared to 9% the week before.
Deaths
The number of patients who have died from coronavirus-related complications has increased. This week, 45people passed away, compared to 35 people the previous week.
Hospitalisations
Hospitalisations have continued to decrease as well. The same pattern is true for the number of admissions to the ICU. The past week saw 287new admissions to the nursing ward and 66 new patients in the ICU. The week before, there were 374 and 80, respectively.
New coronavirus measures
The government has announced new measures, starting from September 25. The new measures include doing away with the 1.5-metre distance and requiring people to show proof of vaccination (QR code from the Corona Check app) or a negative test for entering museums, festivals, concerts, sports, and cultural events.
Terraces, however, are exempt from requiring a corona pass— unless you need to use their restroom, in which case you do need to show a proof of vaccination or a negative test.
Working from home and wearing masks in public transport will continue as the norm for a while longer.
The US lifts travel ban on the Netherlands and all other EU countries
For 18 months, the US border was closed to non-American citizens without residence permits or family in the country.
The Netherlands remains red on the European coronavirus map — but the cabinet is hopeful
The latest travel advice seems contradictory to many. In the most recent update, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) forecasted that the Netherlands remains red on the EU’s coronavirus map.
Meanwhile, the Dutch government want to relax travel restrictions and open up the possibility for easier travel outside of Europe.
Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest news and coronavirus updates.
For the first time since 1998, and after making quick stops in Denmark and Germany, a roaming walrus was seen on one of the Wadden Islands to the North of the Netherlands.
The healthy lady was seen laying around a sandbank on Schiermonnikoog island, one of the West Frisian Islands in the North Sea.
Mistaken for a seal at first, Wageningen University researchers Marcel de Vries and Ralf van Hal were the first ones to spot the magnificent giant resting peacefully near the water. 💤
A sighting
In an entirely uncommon scene, this walrus sighting is the first of its kind in the Netherlands since a similar event happened in Ameland in 1998 — rest assured, it’s not something we get to report on every day. ✍
But is this typical walrus behaviour?
“The walrus lives within the Arctic Circle, but occasionally roams. The North Sea is just within range of this roaming area.” Hans Verdaat from Wageningen Marine Research tells RTL Niews that, while uncommon, it’s not impossible behaviour.
Conservation organizations are asking everyone to observe the walrus from a distance not to startle the animal. 🤫
Follow DutchReview on Facebook and Instagram for more news from the Netherlands!
