Three women received the first Dutch degrees in “teaching in Islamic primary schools” on Wednesday, another example of the Dutch pragmatic approach to religious schooling despite recent ethnic tensions.
“Many Muslims live in our country and it is obvious that Islamic education will find its place here,” Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen said as he handed […]

The Dutch Cabinet has given its approval to the new draft media law proposed by Deputy Minister for Culture and the Media Medy van der Laan. The Deputy Minister says that the law has been kept “as simple as possible.”
Under the new law, from 2008 Public Broadcasting in the Netherlands will consist of just […]

The Parliament of the Belgian French-speaking community and the Minister for Culture have decided that museums will be free of charge as of 7 May 2006 on every first Sunday of the month. The current list of museums will be extended with museums requesting approval/subsidy from the French-speaking Community.
Museums in Brussels: the Jewish Museum of […]

The 60-year old Dutch national who was arrested on 11 May in the Syrian capital Damascus is an active member of Human Rights organisation Amnesty International. Abdullah Al Mansouri also works for Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland (Dutch Council for Refugees) and was a candidate for the Green Party (GroenLinks) at the local council elections in March, said […]

Limburg’s most famous export product, André Rieu, will open an office in New York. The Maastricht violinist is very succesful in the United States. The new office in New York will be run by a staff member of André Rieu Productions for the three coming years.
After the three almost sold-out Vrijthof concerts scheduled on […]

The World of Difference programme offers four Dutch people the chance to spend a whole year working full-time for their favourite charity and thus make a world of difference. Passionate Dutch people can register with the Vodafone Netherlands Foundation from this week on for the second year of the World of Difference programme. Each winner […]

The Jan van Eyck Academie, international post-academic institute for research and production in the fields of fine art, design and theory, is recruiting a photographer/researcher for its project Citygraphy. 19th and 21st century topographic photography in Maastricht.
Citygraphy examines the role of 19th century photography in the consciousness and perception of the European city as […]

Almost all would-be immigrants are passing the preparatory test in the Dutch language and culture that they are required to complete in their country of origin. The test was introduced on 15 March. Since then, 106 people have taken the test and 101 candidates have passed.
The test was initiated by Immigration and Integration Minister Rita […]

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is among the most famous and successful immigrants in the Netherlands. A Muslim atheist, as she calls herself, the Somali-born woman rose to win a seat in the Dutch Parliament and gained a reputation for probing the uneasy coexistence of Islam and the West. She reviled her former religion, bringing down death […]

Government employees with a non-western foreign background earn 20 percent less than their native Dutch colleagues. To an important extent they earn less because they have a lower level of education. If the differences in education levels and other background variables are corrected for, the difference is reduced to only 4 percent.
Corrected wage differences
Dutch government […]

The European Union will deploy planes, patrol boats and rapid-reaction aid teams from its member states to deal with a new flood of African illegal migrants trying to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, EU officials said Tuesday.
The EU justice and home affairs commissioner, Franco Frattini, said the EU’s external border security agency, Frontex, would send two […]

I have now increased the number of Dutch national news headlines on the home page to 8.
Many of these news items deal with developments in higher education, but I find many stories related to social and cultural aspects of life in the Netherlands also very interesting.
Share This

The Dutch parliament approved new anti-terrorism measures Tuesday that make it easier to arrest suspects without strong evidence and hold them longer without charge. Prosecutors will be able to approve surveillance, infiltration or wiretapping of suspects even when there is not “reasonable suspicion” that a suspect may have committed a criminal act.
The new law, which […]

Dutch Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk is satisfied with the results of the new integration exam that potential immigrants have to sit in their country of origin before they are allowed to settle in the Netherlands.
One hundred and six candidates have taken the exam since its introduction on 15 March. Only five of the candidates […]

The Netherlands has a reasonably good public transport system, but changes to the way you pay are underway. Expatica Netherlands has compiled a basic guide to tickets, trains, buses, trams and taxis.
Go to full guide in Expatica Netherlands.
Share This

The Flemish government plans to integrate foreign residents into society via a voluntary and obligatory system of courses, inclusive fines.
Read full article in Expatica Belgium.
Share This

Extract from an article published in the EU Observer, 23 May 2006:
The European Parliament’s political group leaders are considering to create regular forums for citizens to debate the same draft laws as MEPs in Brussels or Strasbourg - but critics warn the plan may prove a lip service to bringing citizens closer to the EU.
The […]

The Police force in South-Limburg will get 250 additional agents. According to Geerd Leers, Mayor of Maastricht and commander of the South-Limburg police corps, the government has announced the measure in the Spring financial report (”Voorjaarsnota”).
The province of Flevoland will also get more personnel.
The measures will not mean that other police corps in the […]

In a new comparison between the 25 biggest Dutch municipalities, sports magazine Sport Bestuur & Management places Maastricht towards the bottom of the list as far as sport expenditures are concerned.
In 2004 Maastricht spent 41 euro per capita for sports (ranking 22th out of the 25 cities); in 2005, 25 euro (ranking 16th); and in […]

Dutch Health Minister Hans Hoogervorst has informed the lower house of parliament that domestically-grown marijuana, known as Nederwiet, will not be banned. While it has increased in potency over the last few years, it is still not strong enough to be considered a hard drug. Earlier, Minister Hoogervorst said Nederwiet would be banned if it […]

Homosexual policemen will take part in a gay parade in June. The Council of Chief Commissioners has given permission for them to wear uniform.
The national police homosexual network (LHP) is to take part in the annual Pink Saturday Parade on 24 June. “Under the theme ‘Never be afraid to be different; you’re welcome with us’, […]

A majority in the lower house of parliament has demanded an investigation into how many people have been stripped of their Dutch citizenship over the last few years.
The issue was raised after Immigration and Integration Minister Rita Verdonk announced that former MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali would be stripped of her Dutch citizenship.
According to […]

For the first time in many years, The Netherlands is one of the countries criticised in the annual report of human rights organisation Amnesty International. The 2005 report voices particular criticism of Dutch asylum and deportation policies.
On a more general level, Amnesty reports that there are a number of positive developments across the globe, but […]

Read in today’s Radio Netherlands Press Review:
NRC Handelsblad reports that Holland is the only West European nation that has more people leaving the country than arriving. In 2005, 121,000 people emigrated from The Netherlands, while only 92,000 immigrated to this country. The trend began in 2003, and it is increasing every year.
One of the […]

The Dutch police union has received dozens of official complaints from policewomen about their new uniform blouse which they say is see-through.
The officers feel “uneasy” and “closely watched” while wearing the new garment, police union chairman Hans van Duijn told Monday’s edition of the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper.
Van Duijn suggested that police start issuing […]

‘A Europe that works’ is what the government is aiming to achieve during this period of reflection on the future of the EU. At the suggestion of Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Bot and Minister for European Affairs Atzo Nicolaï, the cabinet agreed to sent the House of Representatives a letter on this subject. The […]

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) wants an extra 433 million euros per year for top research. The organisation announces this on 22 May with the launch of its strategy for 2007−2010. The money is intended for excellent researchers, consolidating strengths and improving the benefits for society.
If the Netherlands is to contribute to the […]

Dutch MPs met with Belgian municipal and justice authorities in the town of Lanaken on Monday to discuss the cross-border aspects of the Dutch drugs policy.
It is the first time that a hearing of the Dutch Parliament’s justice committee took place outside of the Netherlands. Lanaken is situated in the Belgian province of Limburg.
The […]

The cabinet is instituting a points system to make it easier for talented entrepreneurs from outside the EU to come to the Netherlands. They will be admitted on the basis of personal talents, even if they do not have a job at a company or institution.
The government has decided to divide up its immigration policy […]

The aim of this consultation is to identify the main problems public research organisations (such as universities) and industry experience when working together - be they cultural barriers or legal ones - and how the research and industry communities feel that they should be addressed.
The European Commission welcomes the views of all stakeholders concerned, […]