EU-DIGEST

Labels: EU, Politics, The Netherlands

Mr. Stegeman, whose report was broadcast on Sunday, said he purchased a bottle of rum, emptied it and refilled it with water before returning it to the store. Then he returned to the same shop and “bought” the refilled bottle, which the shop sealed in a bag with a receipt, allowing him to take it through security checks and on to a plane that landed in London, where he transferred to a flight to Washington. “This was a real big security gap, and the system failed,” said Mr. Stegeman, who was recognized by security staff because of his previous stories where he had posed as a worker for three months and then passed through security unchecked.

“When they recognized me, they had a lot of extra security guards and asked a chief to come and look at me. Still, they didn’t look inside the bag. They looked at the bag, checked the flight number, but that was it,” Mr. Stegeman said.

Labels: Airport Security, EU, Schiphol, The Netherlands

Labels: The Netherlands, US, World Cup Soccer

Wilders, 46, faces criminal charges for inciting hatred. He has denounced Islam as antidemocratic and compared the Quran with Hitler's manifesto "Mein Kampf." He has proposed imposing a tax on clothing commonly worn by Muslims, such as headscarves, because they "pollute" the nation.

EU-Digest

Labels: Elections, EU, Geert Wilders, The Netherlands

Labels: Almere, Elections, EU, Geert Wilders, The Netherlands

Labels: EU, Skating, The Netherlands

Labels: Banking Crises, EU, The Netherlands

The Netherlands' public prosecutor's office has said it is unable to confirm the report, but De Telegraaf claims that Dutch justice authorities knew as early as November where B. was hiding. The prosecutors say it is impossible to force Baran's return to the Netherlands, because Turkey does not extradite its own subjects.

Saban escaped in September when he was on special leave, ostensibly to visit his girlfriend and baby. The court decision to grant the man leave caused an uproar, and the judges later admitted they had underestimated the risk that Saban would run away. Several of his victims went into hiding when it became clear that the trafficker was at large.

Labels: criminal law, EU, The Netherlands, Turkey

The war in Iraq had "no basis in international law", a Dutch inquiry found today, in the first ever independent legal assessment of the decision to invade. In a series of damning findings, a seven-member panel in the Netherlands concluded that the war, which was supported by the Dutch government following intelligence from Britain and the US, had not been justified in law. "The Dutch government lent its political support to a war whose purpose was not consistent with Dutch government policy," the inquiry in the Hague concluded. "The military action had no sound mandate in international law." In a further twist, it emerged that the UK government refused to disclose a key document requested by the Dutch panel.

Editorial note EU-Digest: It is hoped that the US Administration under the leadership of President Barrack Obama and the British Government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown will also have the courage to install independent commissions to review the legality of the Iraq war during the Bush Administration. And consequently, if these inquires show no evidence is found that the Iraq war was justified, take the appropriate legal action against those responsible for withholding accurate information on the actual situation in Iraq before the invasion, and the death of thousands of innocent lives in Iraq and the numerous military casualties of this war. It has been suggested that the only proper action for Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who took the decision to take the Netherlands into the war in Iraq, would be to step down.

Labels: Bush Administration, EU, Iraq war, The Netherlands

Labels: EU, Facebook, Social Networks, The Netherlands

Labels: EU, The Netherlands

The Turkish government fears a scheduled visit by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, saying it could dent Turkish relations with the Netherlands and Europe. The Turkish government says it fears a scheduled visit by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, saying it could dent Turkish relations with the Netherlands and Europe. But many secular and religious Turks say they would welcome a debate with the polemic politician.

"Normally, the army belongs in the barracks. But I will make an exception for Turkey." Wilders wrote. "The Turkish army is the greatest defender of Kemal Ataturk's legacy, the man who compared Islam with a rotting corpse. Without the corrective influence of the army, Turkey would already be a second Iran." This position is incomprehensible and indefensible, said Mustafa Akyol, a columnist and deputy editor of the Turkish Daily News and a practicing Muslim. "Wilders forgets that Ataturk in his time (the 1920 and 30s) turned Turkey's face to the West, but that the West wasn't a very pleasant place at the time. Many of the European fascist and nationalist ideologies of the time, like that of authoritarian one-party states, were thus imported to Turkey and the secular Turks have held onto them until now.''

Note EU-Digest: Mr. Wilders, a one dimensional politician, who usually is completely off the track when it comes to conventional political activities and historical research, certainly read up well about Turkish history and Ataturk's legendary vision about Islam and the dangers of Islam or any religion as a State imposed religion.

Labels: Ataturk, EU, Geert Wilders, Islam, The Netherlands, Turkey

Suriname/Netherlands: Trial of Desi Bouterse resumes in Suriname

For the first time, the trial was attended by six relatives of victims of the 1982 December murders who live in the Netherlands. For emotional reasons the relatives had difficulty returning to Surinam for the trial. A great deal of legal wrangling also took place before they could appear as witnesses in the case. Desi Bouterse did not attend the hearing, just as every other hearing since the trial started in November 2007. His lawyer says he has got Mexican flu. Mr Bouterse is accused along with 24 others of the murders of 15 political opponents of the military rulers in Fort Zeelandia in December 1982. Desi Bouterse led a coup d'état in February 1980, which was the beginning of a decade of dictatorship.

Suriname used to be a Dutch Colony which became independent in 1975.

Labels: Desi Bouterse, EU, Suriname, The Netherlands

Biking in the Netherlands, a practical and healthy tradition

EU-Digest

Holland to become the center of the world for cycling racing sport fans in 2010

All three of cycling’s super three-week “grand tours” will begin in the Netherlands next summer. The first bike-racing frenzy begins on May 8, with the 93rd Giro d'Italia departing from Amsterdam. Two months later on July 3, the Tour de France starts from Rotterdam, and on Saturday, Aug. 29, from Assen the Vuelta a España .

Holland is a country famous for windmills, tulips, and wooden shoes. But whoever has the opportunity to visit Holland, quickly discovers that this is also a country of bicycles. With nearly as many bikes as people (14 million bikes, 16 million Dutchmen), pancake-flat Holland was made for pedaling. Everyone, from grandparents to "too-cool" teens, takes to the roads by bike. Women master the art of discreetly pedaling in skirts and stilettos, and it’s not unusual to see a man in a €2,000 suit cycling home from the office. Even the Queen and Dutch PM bike. The Dutch use the bike for just about everything — to do the groceries, go to work, recreation, or just to go visit with friends in the city. Cycling is also pretty safe in Holland. American cyclists are three times more likely to be killed as would Dutch cyclists. Some people argue that part of the blame of accidents falls on bad drivers. Others say it is because the US has very few bike paths and cyclist take life in their hands when biking on public roads Maybe so, but it is also much harder to get a drivers license in the EU than in America. No drivers license is issued before you reach the age of 18.

The total value of bikes made in Europe last year reached €1.9 billion, with Holland providing 30 per cent of that total (€577,000). They top the list of bike producers in the EU with Germany and France coming in second and third.

If you want to go native and use your own green energy when visiting Holland, rent a bike. Bikes are available for rent - by the day, week or month - at most major train stations in Holland, from Maastricht in the south, to the northern city of Groningen. In the most visited tourist spots, such as Amsterdam, Gouda and Leiden, private companies offer rentals as well as bicycle sightseeing tours through cities and into the windmill-dotted, canal-crossed outlying areas. Expect to pay a minimum of 8 euros a day for a simple pedal-brake bike and up to 20 euros a day for the luxury of a hybrid bike with gears and manual brakes.

Labels: Biking, EU, Giro d'Italia, Green Power, The Netherlands, Tour de France, Vuelta a España

Alternative Energy - Windpower: Chinese XEMC takeover Netherlands Darwind Wind Power Generating Business

Darwind which was on the verge of closing the business will now continue its operations through an asset transaction with XEMC Windpower Co., Ltd, from Xiangtan, Hunan Province in China. Previously, Darwind, an innovative Dutch developer of direct drive offshore wind turbines, was part of the former Econcern group. Following the Chinese takeover of the business CEO of Darwind, Mr. Vincent van den Brekel said: “We have been looking for a strong partner for a while, and as a company we are very happy to be able to continue our operations after the acquisition of Darwind by XEMC”.

With this acquisition, XEMC enters the European market, and acquires innovative and advanced 5 MW direct drive turbine technology, in addition to their successful 2 MW product line, which is based on the same technology. The newly incorporated company XEMC Darwind B.V. will develop two 5MW direct drive wind turbine prototypes and install these in 2010, upon which they will be certified. XEMC Windpower Vice-President Mr. Long Xin noted: “XEMC aims to continue the Darwind operations in the Netherlands in addition to our Chinese operations. We are confident about the innovative turbine concept and are looking forward to a bright future for XEMC Darwind”.

The Chinese XEMC Group is one of the largest manufacturing complexes in China, which enjoys a history of more than 70 years and possesses more than 1000 patents and intellectual property rights. XEMC employs more than 10,000 people and operates in businesses in manufacturing of electric machines, heavy trucks, ship propulsion systems, electric locomotives for mining industry, light rail vehicles for urban transportation, water pump, equipment for national defense and wind turbines.

As one of the fastest growing business sectors in XEMC Group, the wind group is one of the two leading suppliers of direct drive turbines on Chinese market. XEMC has produced and installed more than 150 units of 2MW turbines, and just in June, delivered 31 units. XEMC 2MW series turbines are, in China, the largest turbines in mass production.

Labels: Alternative Energy, EU, The Netherlands, Windpower

Talks on sharing bank details with US prompt privacy concerns - by Jamie Smyth

The EU has agreed to begin talks with the US aimed at agreeing to share information on European citizens’ bank transactions for use in counter-terrorism investigations. EU foreign ministers gave a mandate to EU diplomats yesterday to negotiate a new interim deal with the US treasury to allow it to continue to access Swift, a Belgian firm owned by leading banks that facilitates international cross-border financial transactions. An existing EU-US deal signed in 2007 is due to run out later this year when Swift moves a key internet server at the center of its network from the US to the Netherlands.

“We must negotiate an agreement based on reciprocity rather than allowing the US to continue as they have up until now as if they were top dog,” EU justice commissioner Jacques Barrot told sceptical MEPs on the European Parliament’s civil liberties committee last week. He also warned them that without a deal a “security gap” would open up in the fight against terrorism. It’s hardly surprising that some MEPs are sceptical about allowing the US authorities to sift through EU citizens’ bank records. US security agencies secretly began monitoring Swift after the September 11th terrorist attacks without informing EU states or making details of the program public in the US.

Note EU-Digest: this is an extremely serious breach of European privacy laws. In the Netherlands International US Accounting Firms like Coopers and Lybrand and Grant Thornton now ask there clients for copies of their passports. There is no proof at all if this information is not also passed to US authorities.

Labels: Coopers and Lybrand, EU, Grant Thornton, Nederland, Persoons gegevens, Privacy Laws, The Netherlands

The Netherlands: Survey Shows Dutch Population In The Dark About Government Measures To Combat Economic Crises

The Netherlands Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) reported that based on discussions it has had with representatives from several sectors of the Dutch populace, the majority of them said they feel the Dutch Government has provided very little information about the actual measures taken by them to combat the economic crises. The report shows that overall opinion seems to be that the Government seems to have lost control over the situation and is postponing taking action to they could think of taken or proposed by the Government. The majority of the people interviewed also felt that the bailout of the banks by the Government did not benefit the consumer and they were critical about the high salaries and bonuses still being paid to people in the private and financial sectors.

When asked where they would cut costs 80% of the people interviewed said they would cut costs in foreign aid programs, while 76 % said the would cut cost from the military budget. On the other hand 82 % said they would increase the budget for health care. The Netherlands has a national health care system which is considered among some of the best in the world, but some of the home care programs require more funding to provide extended care.

Labels: Economic Crises, EU, The Netherlands

The Netherlands - Scripture for the Eyes' - At the Museum of Biblical Art, Dutch Printmakers and the Good Book - by Ken Johnsen

Just how provocative the Good Book has been can be seen in “Scripture for the Eyes: Bible Illustration in Netherlandish Prints of the 16th Century” at the Museum of Biblical Art. Among the 79 works in this superb show are pieces by some of the biggest names in Western printmaking. Woodcuts and engravings by Lucas van Leyden and Hendrick Goltzius alone would make a visit worthwhile.

While some viewers may be fascinated by the scholarly issues and biblical themes that the exhibition so adroitly frames, the pictorial and narrative excitement will captivate many others.What remains undeniable, though, is the ability of Dutch printmakers to measure the heights and plumb the depths of the European soul.

Labels: Art, Christianity, EU, Literature, The Netherlands

Pro-Europe D-66 and Greens gain in Dutch EU-Parliamentary elections as does the radical right-wing party of Geert Wilders

The pro Europe D-66 and Groen Links (Greens) where among the major winners of the European parliamentary elections which kicked off in the Netherlands and Britain yesterday and will be held throughout the 27 member EU member states until June 7. Over 375 million people are eligible to take part in the elections, which will roll out across Europe. Most of the 27 EU nations vote on Sunday. The success of these biggest-ever transnational elections is feared to be tempered by voter worries about national economic troubles rather than European perspectives. As a result, extremist anti-EU right-and possibly also some left-wing parties hope to pick up votes. Mario Telo, who heads the European Studies Institute at Brussels Free University, said: "This risk exists, as it did in the 1930s, even if the difference is that the extreme right will not have a direct political impact, but the trend "will show that the national political crisis is dire. Corruption, scandals and the quest for scapegoats risk bogging down European democracies, which will have to find the strength to react." The Dutch results also show that the Christian Democrats (CDA) of Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende remained the leading party of the Netherlands, even though they lost two of their 7 European Parliamentary seats.

Despite the economic crisis the European People's Party -- an umbrella group for center-right parties from across the EU -- is set to remain the biggest political bloc in the parliament with 262 seats. The Socialists are expected to remain in second place with 194 seats. Cyprus, Latvia, Malta and Slovakia will go to the polls on Saturday before Europe's Super Sunday, when the other 19 EU nations -- including France, Germany, Italy and Spain -- round off the voting.

Labels: EU Elections 09, European Parliament, The Netherlands

The Netherlands - A Government Supported Ripoff: Senior Citizen Drivers License Renewal

Most countries in the world require senior citizens who reach a certain age to take a medical and eye test to renew their drivers license. This is a good and safe practice. In the Netherlands this safety precaution has also become a money making government rip-off.

First the senior citizen who needs his drivers license renewed has to go to his local municipal government office to pick up a two page form to be completed by the citizen and a government designated medical agency. The cost for this simple document is euro 20.45. With this form he then has to go for his medical check-up at the Government supported Medical Agency (ARBO). The cost for this check-up is non-reimbursable from the citizens health insurance program and sets him/her back another 75 euro. Once the test results are in and show that the drivers license can be applied for the citizen has to return to the government municipal office and bring along government approved passport size pictures (cost 12.50 for a set of 4) - and pay the government another euro 54.00 (City of Almere - cost can differ from municipality to Municipality for the renewal). If you want your drivers license mailed to you sooner than the customary 5 days, you will have to pay a supplementary fee. Adding all these costs together, the average Dutch senior citizen is required to cough up euro 161.95 (US Dollars 210.00) for a simple drivers license renewal. To make matters worse, some insurance companies in the Netherlands might even increase your car insurance policy rates once you become a senior citizen. As one Dutch senior citizen remarked - "the political establishment in the Netherlands might talk a good game but in reality only look after themselves."

Labels: Driver License, EU, The Netherlands

Geert Wilders - Dutch PM?

EU-Digest

The Netherlands: Geert Wilders, a product of collective political misperception in the Netherlands throws shadow on the Dutch concept of tolerance

Recently we read the ten commandments of Mr. Geert Wilders political party PVV, presently leading in Dutch political polls.

"1. Stop cultural relativism. We need an article in our constitutions that lays down that we have a Jewish-Christian and humanism culture. 2. Stop pretending that Islam is a religion. Islam is a totalitarian ideology. In other words, the right to religious freedom should not apply to Islam. 3. Stop mass immigration by people from Muslim countries. We have to end Al-Hijra. 4. Encourage voluntary repatriation. 5. Expel criminal foreigners and criminals with dual nationality, after denationalization, and send them back to their Arab countries. Likewise, expel all those who incite to a ‘violent jihad’. 6. We need an European First Amendment to strengthen free speech. 7. Have every member of a non-Western minority sign a legally binding contract of assimilation. 8. We need a binding pledge of allegiance in all Western countries. 9. Stop the building of new mosques. As long as no churches or synagogues are allowed to be build in countries like Saudi-Arabia we will not allow one more new mosque in our western countries. Close all mosques where incitement to violence is taking place. Close all Islamic schools, for they are fascist institutions and young children should not be educated an ideology of hate and violence. 10. Get rid of the current weak leaders. We have the privilege of living in a democracy. Let’s use that privilege and exchange cowards for heroes. We need more Churchills and less Chamberlains."

Amazing stuff, if we think that this is being proclaimed in 2009 not only by a European politician, but one born in the Netherlands, considered by many in the world as one of the most tolerant and democratic nations on earth. Three of his objectives - 6, 7, 8, also advocated by politicians from other parties, are probably acceptable, but Mr Wilders' desire to eliminate Islam from the shores of Europe and " voluntarily" repatriate Europeans who belong to the Muslim faith, bring to memory some of the saddest moments in European history. When one closely listens to Geert Wilders speaking in public, many of his arguments resemble those published before and during the second world war in Nazi Germany by a weekly tabloid called "Der Stürmer". This publication was a significant part of the Nazi propaganda machinery and was extremely anti-Semitic. Der Stürmer often ran obscene materials and propaganda-like accusations in order to appeal to a larger public of readers, especially those among the lower class. The only difference being that the Nazi's focused on the Jews and Wilders on the Muslims.

If there was an election today some opinion polls put Wilders' PVV as the biggest party in the Netherlands. According to the latest Dutch Maurice de Hond polling bureau figures, the PVV would take 32 seats out of the available 150. The party currently has nine seats in parliament. Labor leader and Government coalition member Wouter Bos (PVDA) on Monday told an audience of students at the Amsterdam's Vrije ( Free) University that his party ruled out any possibility of the PvdA being part of a coalition government with Geert Wilders' anti-Islam PVV. Bos's comments now means that all the left of center parties in the Dutch parliament are united in their unwillingness to form a coalition with Wilders after the next election. The Christian Democrats (CDA), also a member of the Dutch coalition government and the opposition conservative VVD so far have not ruled out an alliance with Wilders. Fortunately "a lot of water will still have to flow under the bridge" before the next scheduled Dutch general elections in May 2011. Right now, however, Geert Wilders, considered by his political opponents as a populist bigot is leading the pack of Dutch politicians. Whatever happens in the 2011 general elections, or maybe even earlier, this trend favoring Geert Wilders also shows that the majority of Dutch citizens really are not as tolerant as some people say they are. The positive side of this controversial debate is that it shows that democracy, freedom of speech and religion are a common right of every EU citizen. No one needs to fear persecution by speaking out on, or expressing an opinion about any issue. That applies to everyone, including Mr. Wilders.

Labels: Elections, EU, Geert Wilders, The Netherlands

Eurofighter Consortium detail euro 7 Billion Industrial Package on Offer to Netherlands Industry

Rainer Hertrich CEO EADS, and Steve Mogford, COO BAE SYSTEMS today unveiled details of a euro7 billion (Gld15 approx.) industrial partnership program that could benefit Netherlands industry. The package was presented on behalf of the Eurofighter Partner Companies (Alenia Aerospazio, BAE SYSTEMS, EADS-Deutschland, EADS-CASA) in support of the Eurofighter bid as candidate in the program for a replacement of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) F-16 fleet. The industrial package is geared to both short term participation in production programmes, and long term, high-value defence and aerospace partnerships across the defence and aerospace activities of the Eurofighter partner companies.

In a first phase Netherlands industry participate directly in the Eurofighter Enhancement Programme to compliment participation by the RNLAF. As such, RNLAF would be working with the existing four nation Eurofighter customers in defining future operational requirements and capabilities of the weapon system. Other industrial activity may also cover production for the initial batch of Eurofighter aircraft now in progress. This initial package provides a guaranteed return of euro400 million to Netherlands industry. A second phase will see Netherlands industry participate in production and further development of the Eurofighter Weapon System to meet the requirements of all partner air forces and the RNLAF. An additional and significant benefit from the Eurofighter offer of industrial partnership is potential or additional participation by Netherlands industry in programmes such as AIRBUS, A400M, helicopters, MAKO, Space programmes and other defence and civil activities.

Note EU-Digest - The Netherlands Government probably would benefit from participating in the Eurofighter program and should certainly reconsider this offer in view of the problems surrounding the F-35.

Labels: EU, EuroFighter, The Netherlands

"Turkey and the Netherlands united by the Tulip" - A Spring Blossom’s Curious History - by Rosemarie Fruehauf

You can be glad to get them for a couple of bucks on almost every corner, but tulips were not always that cheap and easy to get. This innocent spring flower looks back on a long and exciting career.Historians of today hold that the tulip emerged as a wild growing plant thousands of years ago spread in a “corridor” which stretches along the 40º latitude between Northern China and Southern Europe. The first peak of the tulip fascination took place on the court of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566), the Ottoman Emperor residing in Constantinople, today’s Istanbul. His palace, the Seraglio, was called “Palace of Tulips and Tears” and was decorated with countless tulips. Tiles on the walls, vases, and the textile design of his robe were showing tulips, even his emblem and weapons.

Ogier Ghislain de Busbecq, the ambassador of the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I at the court of Suleiman, mentioned the Turkish tulip cultivation in a 1555 letter to Vienna. He also supplied Viennese botanist Carolus Clusius (1526-1609) with seeds. Both became the key figures in bringing the tulip to Europe. Clusius brought his collection to Leyden in the Netherlands, to which he fled due to religious persecution. As an expert for medical herbs and hired for research about them, Clusius grew tulips as his personal hobby.

And the rest is history - today the Netherlands are associated with the tulip like no other country and—four centuries after the tulip-induced economical crisis—hold about 80 percent of the world’s tulip production.

Labels: EU, The Netherlands, Tulips, Turkey

Iran accuses Netherlands of overthrow plot

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards has accused the Netherlands of plotting to overthrow the Islamic regime by supporting the opposition through the media and the Internet, a newspaper reported on Saturday. "One of the countries which has given financial support to the opposition over the past few years is Holland," according to a statement issued by a centre run by the Guards, the Khorasan newspaper said. It said the parliament in the Netherlands had in 2005 adopted a 15 million euro budget proposed by a Dutch MP of Iranian origin which was used to fund Persian Internet sites hostile to the Islamic regime and to help rights groups. "The Dutch project aimed to encourage sexual and moral deviation in society," the Revolutionary Guards centre said, and to support the idea that the "threats (against Iran) are increasing (and) ... the idea that the current Iranian government is incapacitated."

Note EU-Digest: If it only takes the Netherlands 15-million euros to harm the Iranian government then maybe the U.S. has seriously overestimated Iran's potential as a threat and should look into cutting the budget for toppling their Government.

Labels: EU, Iran, The Netherlands, US

Celebrating 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson’s Historic Voyage from Amsterdam to what is now known as New York

On April 4, 1609, the English navigator Henry Hudson — an Englishman hired by the Dutch left Amsterdam harbor to search for a shortcut to Asia. Hudson’s instructions from the Dutch East India Company were to sail east, as he had done on two earlier voyages that were blocked as a result of Arctic ice.

The 400th anniversary of Hudson’s departure will be celebrated starting this week in Amsterdam, at the Rijksmuseum and in Manhattan, at the South street Seaport Museum. In New York the exhibition includes 275 artifacts in an installation that evokes the hull of Hudson’s 85-foot-long ship, the Half Moon. It will remain open through the end of September, which is when New York City and New York State will formally commemorate the anniversary of Hudson’s arrival.

In Amsterdam the exhibit of the former Dutch colony (1626 en 1667), know as "New Amsterdam" is at the famous Rijksmuseum until June 1,2009, open daily from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm. Among the numerous historical artifacts on display will be the famous letter of purchase of Manhattan by the Dutch for 60 guilders.

New York is still home to about 25,000 people who claim Dutch ancestry, but that is fewer than most other ethnic groups living there now. Much of the Dutch legacy today seems tied to the sponsorship of the New York City Marathon by ING, the Dutch financial group, to renewed interest in windmills to meet energy needs, and in surviving names derived from the Dutch, including Yankee and Roosevelt. Part of New York’s Dutch heritage are also Bowling, the Bowery, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Harlem, Stuyvesant Town, the Yankees, the Roosevelts and Coleslaw.

For the special website by the Dutch Government commemorating this historical event click on this link

The focus of the website is on: The USA and the Netherlands: Two Countries, One Spirit, United by Values, History and a Vision of the Future.

Labels: Amsterdam, Anniversary, EU, Henry Hudson, New York, The Netherlands

The US Department of State Acting Secretary spokesman Robert Wood announced that at the invitation of Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to the Netherlands to attend the “International Conference on Afghanistan: a Comprehensive Strategy in a Regional Context” in The Hague on March 31. Building on the achievements of the Conferences held in Bonn, in London and, most recently, in Paris last year, The Hague Ministry will reaffirm the solid and long-term commitment of the international community to supporting the Government of Afghanistan in shaping a better future for Afghanistan and its people. Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke will accompany Secretary Clinton. The ministerial discussion will be co-chaired by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan Kai Eide, Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rangin Dadfar Spanta and Foreign Minister Verhagen.

While in the Netherlands, Secretary Clinton will also have a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Verhagen to discuss issues of mutual interest.

Labels: Afghanistan, Britain. EU, Hillary Clinton, Maxime Verhagen, NATO. US, The Netherlands

English Becomes Lingua Franca at Dutch Universities - by Marlies Hagers

As education becomes an export product, Dutch universities are increasingly switching to English as the language of instruction -- some say that higher education is suffering as a result.The proposal to make English the official language of instruction at Dutch universities was first introduced in 1990 by the country's education minister at the time, Jo Ritzen. If Dutch higher education wanted to continue to pull its weight in the sciences, Ritzen argued, it had to become more international.

Internationalization is the magic word everywhere. Education has become an export product and a university's competitiveness is measured, particularly by the executive boards, by the number of foreign students it hosts. At many faculties, deans are charged with tasks like organizing partnerships and student and faculty exchange programs with universities around the world. "It is part of globalization," says Gerry Wakker, deputy dean of education and internationalization in Groningen. "More and more people are working abroad for a long or short time or they are studying there for a year. We prepare them for that by creating groups of students that are as mixed as possible."

Labels: Education, English Language, EU, The Netherlands

Insurance/Health Care - Borrow European ideas for competition in health-care, doctors' association head says - by Joanne Laucius

European ideas about funding patients rather than hospitals could translate into better medical care for Canadians, says the president of the Canadian Medical Association. In a meeting with the Citizen’s editorial board, Dr. Robert Ouellet said the goal should be to dramatically transform a health care system troubled with long wait times and doctor shortages, not reform it. In Europe, people “were surprised by the wait times we have in Canada,” said Ouellet, who recently traveled to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark and met with 36 groups from government organizations to doctor and patient groups to examine how European systems offer universal health care with minimal wait times.

In the Netherlands, either private or government insurance is compulsory, but private insurance is provided by six competing insurance companies, he said. The Dutch government pays the premiums for children up to the age of 18 and provides health-care allowances for low-income residents if premiums exceed five per cent of household income. Drugs are considered part of the treatment and are covered by the system.

Labels: Canada, EU, Health Care, The Netherlands, Universal Health Care

Eugene Kingsdale scored two points against the Pirates for Holland (photo ANP)

EU-Digest

Baseball: Pittsburg Pirates top the Netherlands, 5-4 in Florida

Ross Ohlendorf had a shaky start, but Garrett Jones had three RBIs in the Pirates' 5-4 exhibition victory against the Netherlands' this Tuesday at McKechnie Field in Bradington Florida. In other friendly games in Florida the Netherlands won 18-1 against Eckerd College, played a draw 3-3 against Korea and 4-4 against the University of South Florida. In their Florida "warm-up" for the World Baseball Classics, which start in the Dominican Republic on March 7, the Netherlands is still scheduled to play against the Cincinnati Reds and the Minnesota Twins.

Labels: Baseball, Dominican Republic, EU, Florida, The Netherlands, World Baseball Classics

Desiré Delano Bouterse (64) trial

EU-Digest

Dick de Bie former Bouterse government collaborator testifies in massacre trial

Dick de Bie, the former head of Bouterse's information service, told a three-member military tribunal in Paramaribo, Suriname (a former Dutch colony on the North East Coast of South America) overseeing the ex-dictator's murder trial that he was alarmed by news of the killings and said he had no prior knowledge that regime opponents would be rounded up and shot on Dec. 7, 1982. "Yes", he said, "there were tensions within the regime and there was social unrest. But I never suspected it would lead to the killings of 15 people." De Bie testified at a naval base outside the capital, Paramaribo. Bouterse, who could not be reached for comment Monday and rarely speaks to reporters, has denied any involvement in the 1982 killings. However, in March 2007, he offered a first public apology and said he accepts political responsibility for the slayings. The regime's critics were taken by soldiers to Fort Zeelandia in Paramaribo and shot one by one. Two days after the killings, Bouterse said in a televised statement that the 15 men had been shot while attempting to escape police detention. De Bie who testified has not been accused of participating in the slayings.

Even though Mr. de Bie told the tribunal he was alarmed about the killings and that he had never suspected that 15 people would be killed, records show he nevertheless remained very faithful to Mr. Bouterse before, during and after the massacres. Following the Bouterse coup in 1980, Mr. de Bie became a staff member at the CONS Office/ Planning Office in the section of the OPO negotiations and also liaison officer of UNDP. One year later in 1981 Bouterse appointed de Bie Director of the National Information Services (NVD). He held that position through 1983. In 1985 he became the head of the UN Desk and head of the USA/Canada Desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was appointed Consul General of Suriname in the United States in 1987, stationed in Miami where he remained until he was transferred back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993. In 1996 de Bie was appointed Transport, Communications and Tourism Minister in the Bouterse controlled NDP government. He held that position until 2000 when the NDP coalition was defeated in the general elections by the New Front of President Ronald R. Venetiaan.

Bouterse and the 11 others could face 20 years in jail if found guilty. It was not clear when Bouterse might appear before the tribunal. Testimony is scheduled to resume on April 20.

Labels: December Massacres, Desi Bouterse, Suriname, The Netherlands

Dutch MP Geert Wilders would become next prime minister in poll

Dutch MP Geert Wilders would become the next prime minister of The Netherlands if elections were to be held this month. His Party for Freedom (PVV) now holds nine seats, but a top local pollster finds that he's now so popular that he would get 27 seats. Top pollster Maurice de Hond said Wilders' PVV -party would get 27 seats - one more than the ruling coalition partners Christian Democrats' 26 and the Labour Party's 21 seats. The fourth-largest party in this poll would be Democrats-66 party with 19 seats. This means that if an election were to be held this month, Wilders' party would gain so many votes that he would be asked to form the next coalition government in The Netherlands. And it would be the first time in history than an elected Western country's leader would have to live with a Fatwa, an islamist death-order, on his head. Wilders has been under constant guard ever since the murder of Dutch cineast Theo van Gogh 4 years ago, when a death-warrant against Wilders was pinned to the outspoken Van Gogh's chest by his murderer.

Note EU-Digest: The truth of the matter is that Geert Wilders is not for real, instead one could describe him to be an "egocentric fascist populist", who plays the nationalist martyr, avoids talk shows and uses dramatic "one liners" he never is able to back up. Even after his recent visit to the USA some of his conservative Republican hosts stated on TV and radio that they considered him to be a political opportunist. In the Netherlands he might be able to fool many people, but he won't be able to fool everyone all the time. One thing is clear - Geert Wilders certainly is a lively diversion within the drab, musty and Calvinist Dutch political system, but he will never be able to become the Dutch PM. Political leadership requires foresight and the ability to make alliances. Those are not Geert Wilders his strong points.

Labels: EU, Geert Wilders, The Netherlands

A parallel? - bailout of the banks in 2009 and bailout of Dutch slave owners in 1863 - by Rick Morren

There is an interesting historical parallel between todays bailout of the banks by governments in the US and Europe and the bailout of Dutch slave owners in 1863 by the Netherlands Government.

When slavery was abolished in all colonies of the Dutch Kingdom on July 1, 1863 there were some 45.000 slaves. Most of them (34.000) lived in the former Dutch colony of Suriname, on the North Eastern coast of South America. Even though the Netherlands in 1848 had already decided that there should come an end to slavery, it took another 15 year before they got their act together as to the procedures which had to be put in place to make this happen. The main issue facing the Dutch Government at that time was how to re-activate the plantation based local colonial economies after their "free labor pool" would cease to exist.

Then, as is the case today, when it comes to bailouts, the Netherlands government of that time hardly considered what the economic impact of the abolishment of slavery would have on the freed slaves, but instead worried more about how to compensate the slave owners for the loss of their "free workforce" and on keeping them tied to the local economy.

Eventually the Dutch Government came up with a "bailout plan" which provided slave owners 300 "guilders" (euro 130) compensation for each slave they had lost as a result of the "emancipation process" in the hope that the slave owners would reinvest this capital back into the local economy, or by hiring former slaves to work their plantations. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened. Many unscrupulous plantation owners "cooked" the information on their books about the number of slaves they had and were compensated even for slaves that had died, or ran away; some sold their plantations to speculators; but most of them took their money and left the country. The formally thriving Suriname agriculture based economy could not be reactivated without the active participation of all the parties involved. History seems to tell us over and over again that economic trickle down policies, which failed in the past will also not work today.

Labels: Bailout, Banks, EU, Slavery, The Netherlands, USA

Export of flowers from Holland drop 8% in January

Exports of flowers from Holland dropped 8% in January in comparison to January last year. The overall export of flowers in January amounted to 354 million euro so far this year. Street vendors, flower shops and super markets also saw a considerable drop of their cut flower sales as a result of the economic downturn. In addition to make matters worse credit provisions to flower companies have also been greatly reduced.

Labels: Cut Flowers, EU, Flower Industry, The Netherlands

Dutch right wing politician Geert Wilders plans to defy UK entry ban to show controversial film critical of Qur'an - by Haroon Siddique

Geert Wilders, the rightwing Dutch politician accused of Islamophobia, said today he was planning to defy a ban on entering the UK and hoped to arrive this afternoon. But a spokesman for his Freedom party said he feared Wilders, who was due to show his 17-minute film Fitna, which criticizes the Qur'an as a "fascist book", at the House of Lords today, would not be allowed to leave the Netherlands by the airline.

On Tuesday, Wilders received a letter from the Home Office refusing him entry because his opinions "threaten community security and therefore public security".

Note EU-Digest: Even though we do not agree with the political viewpoints of Mr. Wilders, it is not only a scandal but also illegal that one member of the EU (in this case Britain) bars entry on to its territory by a parliamentarian of another member state (in this case the Netherlands). Maybe Britain and all members of the EU should be reminded in a "resolution" by the EU Parliament that the EU is a community of democratic, secular states, with freedom of movement by its members, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.

Labels: Britain, EU, Geert Wilders, The Netherlands

Turkey segment of ABN Amro sale completed

A consortium composed of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Belgian Fortis bank and Spanish Banco Santander had previously appealed to take over Dutch bank ABN Amro's six branches in Turkey, but the request was initially rejected by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) due to security concerns. According to the Sabah daily, 2008 yearend intelligence reports showed that Barclays had cancelled the PKK accounts, and the takeover was approved by the BDDK. During a recent visit to Turkey, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was told by his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, that there were some banks transferring money to the PKK in Europe, and Brown responded that they had decided to ban such activities. The BDDK had previously rejected the handover of Turkish A Bank to Greek Alpha Bank due to similar security concerns.

Labels: ABN-AMRO, EU, PKK, The Netherlands, Turkey

Dutch experience shows legalized prostitution still a problem - by Heleen Mees

Prostitution is virtually the only part of the personal services industry in the Netherlands that works. One can’t get a manicure in Amsterdam without booking an appointment two weeks in advance, but men can buy sex anytime — and at an attractive price. The legalization of prostitution in October 2000 merely codified a long-standing Dutch tradition of tolerance towards buying and selling sex. But is legalization the right approach? Even in the Netherlands, women and girls who sell their bodies are routinely threatened, beaten, raped and terrorized by pimps and customers. In a recent criminal trial, two German-Turkish brothers stood accused of forcing more than 100 women to work in Amsterdam’s red-light district. The attorney who represented one of the victims said that most of the women came from families marred by incest, alcohol abuse and parental suicide. Or they come from countries in Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia and have fallen victim to human trafficking, lured by decent job offers or simply sold by their parents.

These women are Amsterdam’s leading tourist attraction (followed by the coffee shops that sell marijuana). But an estimated 50 percent to 90 percent of them are actually sex slaves, raped on a daily basis with police idly standing by. It is incomprehensible that their clients are not prosecuted for rape, but Dutch politicians argue that it cannot be established whether or not a prostitute works voluntarily.

Labels: Amsterdam, EU, Prostitution, Sex tourism, The Netherlands

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer out - A contest to lead NATO - Who can unite the allies? -

NATO’s hot war, in Afghanistan, is going badly and the alliance is at odds over further expansion. Relations with its neighbor in Brussels, the European Union, are paralyzed even though many countries are members of both. Poland’s foreign (and ex-defense) minister, Radek Sikorski, is an early front-runner. Another eastern possibility is Solomon Passy, the Trabant-driving former foreign minister of Bulgaria. Many allies want a secretary-general with political clout, “somebody whose phone calls will be answered when he calls European leaders”, as a NATO insider puts it. Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s has this clout. As Danish prime minister since 2001, he sent his country’s troops to serve alongside American ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Mr Fogh Rasmussen is thought to be more interested in becoming the EU’s first permanent president, if that position ever materializes.Two Canadian possibilities are Peter MacKay and John Manley, defense and former foreign ministers respectively. One contender is Britain’s soft-spoken former defense secretary, Des Browne. But Britain is detested by jihadists even more than Denmark.A French candidate might seal that country’s re-entry into NATO’s military structure, which will be confirmed at the April summit. Some NATO insiders think the best way to stop Berlin from becoming the new Paris might be to appoint a senior German with solid pro-American credentials to NATO’s top job—in effect, not Germany’s man at NATO, but NATO’s man for Germany?

Note EU-Digest Among all the soul searching that is being done about NATO maybe some serious thought should also be given to replace the NATO structure by a European Defense Alliance which includes Russia as a full member? Providing more of a focus on European strategic interests but nevertheless in close cooperation with the US military establishment.

Labels: EU, Europe, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Nato, Russia, The Netherlands, US

Omar Kbiri, Richard Branson and Lennard Hulsbos

Holland celebrates Obama inauguration

Two Dutch students fly along with Richard Branson in private jet to Barack Obama inauguration

Omar Kbiri en Lennard Hulsbos, two Dutch college students, hitched a last-minute ride to Washington from Amsterdam on the private jet of British entrepreneur Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Airways and joined the record crowd there hailing in the Barack Obama era.

Branson was a guest speaker at an Amsterdam congress and participants were able to ask questions by sending text messages from their mobile phones, which were shown on a large screen. Unexpectedly the following question came, "Will you take along two poor students to Obama?" the students' text message read, to which Branson immediately said yes. The two students returned to the Netherlands today following their 48 hour US adventure and in a press conference said the flight with Richard Branson and the inaugural festivities in Washington was something they will never forget as long as they live. While the students were in Washington, many prominent Dutch politicians and journalists attended a special Obama inauguration party thrown by Job Cohen, the Mayor of Amsterdam at his official residence. The Mayor's staff served hot dogs and mini hamburgers to politicians from the left and the right of the Dutch political spectrum as they watched the inauguration on a big screen. The Stars and Stripes was also hoisted above the 16th century Old Church in the middle of the capital's red light district. Obama's inauguration had rehabilitated the US's reputation in the Netherlands, at least for now.

Labels: Barack Obama, EU, Richard Branson, The Netherlands, Virgin Airways

Marathon Dutch skating championship on Flevoland Province Oostvaarders Lakes

Twenty two year old Marathon skater Sjoerd Huisman won the Dutch Championship on Natural Ice today, January 8. Huisman beat Arjan Stroetinga in a neck-and-neck finish in the 100-kilometre-long circuit at the Oostvaarders Lakes in the Flevoland Province. The women's 60 kilometre race was won by Carla Zielman; Danielle Bekkering came in second. It's been 12 years since the last Dutch Skating Championship marathon was held on natural ice. Some 150 skaters participated in the two races.

For a pictorial report of the race click on this link

Labels: EU, Flevoland, Skating, The Netherlands

A survey conducted by the Dutch AD Newspaper shows that support in the Netherlands for the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip is crumbling. Twenty-five percent of those interviewed support Israel, while 17 percent side with the Palestinians. A majority of 51 percent agrees that Israel is using disproportionate means in the fight against the Hamas movement, but 62 percent say that the Palestinians would be better off without Hamas. Six in ten of those surveyed refused to take sides, either because they consider the issue too complex, blame both parties for the violence, or reject any form of violence whatsoever. These figures present a clear contrast with the Dutch cabinet's approval - albeit with some reservations - of Israel's action in Gaza.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende is the only European government leader not to criticize the level of violence: "After many rocket attacks by Hamas, the time had come where Israel had to say: We are going to react". In a letter to parliament, Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen held Hamas responsible for the large number of civilian casualties because of the presence of Hamas fighters in residential areas.

Labels: EU, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, The Netherlands

The anaerobic digestion process producing biogas

For more information click on this link

The Netherlands - Zeewolde - Cow manure energy plant to supply heat for 3000 homes

On Wednesday January the 7th, inhabitants of a new housing development project in the rural Dutch City of Zeewolde, Province of Flevoland, got their homes heated by "green energy" produced from cow manure. The energy comes from biogas, produced by a process know as anaerobic digestion. At Zeewolde's new plant the raw materials for the digestion process are mainly supplied by local cattle farms. The gas from this digestion plant goes some 5 km's via pipeline to the heat producing energy plant in Zeewolde with an electrical capacity of 1.3 megawatts. By the end of this year some 3000 homes will get their heat from this process.

Biogas is a mixture of gases, usually carbon dioxide and methane. It is produced by a few kinds of microorganisms, mainly when either air or oxygen is absent. Animals that eat a lot of plant material, particularly grazing animals, such as cattle, produce large amounts of biogas, which can be turned into energy. Most plants of the Zeewolde kind use raw material consisting of 50% liquid and solid manure, with the remaining proportion made up on the basis of maize and various other organic products.

There are approximately 60 biogas plants currently operating in the Netherlands, with a forecasted potential of some 400 additional plants.

Labels: Alternative Energy Resources, EU, Flevoland, The Netherlands, Zeewolde

Ethnic food at NDIC Almere

Special EU-Digest report on Places of Worship

The Netherlands - Almere: A Christian Church where Nourishment of the Soul and Soul Food go Hand in Hand

New Day International Church (NDIC), an English language Christian Church, which opened its doors in Almere only 15 months ago, believes that nourishment not only includes the Word of God, but also good food. The Church which counts some 100 plus members recently started a bi-monthly "potLuck" Cafe program after its Sunday Worship Service. It calls this "New Day Cafe". The difference with other cafe's is that the food at "New Day Cafe" is free and voluntarily supplied by the members of the congregation - a rainbow mix of people from 16 different countries. The result, a spectacular variety of ethnic food specialties. Certainly a great incentive to visit NDIC, but that is not the only incentive. Peter and Nancy van der Meyden, the pastoral leaders and their organizational team say their objective is seeking to serve the international community in Almere by providing a growing relational and supportive network; an inspiring and contemporary Sunday morning church experience; and many resources (pastoral care, teaching, relevant literature, etc.), to help people connect faith to life. "We want visitors to NDIC to find this to be an inclusive environment they can feel comfortable with", says Pastor Peter van der Meyden.

All this adds up to the special character of Almere, a brand new city, to the northeast of Amsterdam, built on ocean reclaimed land during the early seventies. Its ambitious planners at the time envisioned a suburban living environment for commuters to the nearby capital Amsterdam, Schiphol airport and the very richy "Het Gooi" area. Currently, over 176,000 people live in Almere — one of the fastest growing cities in the Netherlands. The Dutch government recently announced plans for it to become the fourth largest city in the country, housing more than 400,000 inhabitants. It is also a very internationally flavored city with approximately a quarter of Almere’s citizens originating from outside the Netherlands, representing a variety of ethnic, cultural, social and religious backgrounds. Only 5 percent of these inhabitants come from Western European or US heritage. Places of worship in Almere also include Mosques and prayer centers for the Muslim community.

Almere is also a very open spaced community. According to the local government, there are on average 420 homes per square kilometers, compared with 1,930 homes per square kilometer in the four largest cities of the Netherlands - Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. Even though it is still looked down on by citizens of most "cozy, old-style, and traditional" Dutch cities, Almere is already viewed throughout Europe, and by most of its own inhabitants, as a leading example of a successful new and modern designed city. It certainly has a great deal to offer people who seek a suburban lifestyle in a central easily accessible location. Innovative ideas like the NDIC Cafe ( http://www.ndic.nl) just seem to materialize spontaneously on a daily basis in this surprising bustling new Dutch city.

Labels: Almere, EU, Religion, Soul Food, The Netherlands

Obama descended from Leiden (The Netherlands) Pilgrim Fathers

Obama descended from Leiden (The Netherlands) Pilgrim Fathers

Historical research shows that US President-elect Barack Obama is descended from the Pilgrim Fathers who left the Dutch town of Leiden in 1620 to found the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts. Leiden's culture alderman revealed that Mr Obama's ancestors were among those who arrived in the Netherlands from Britain in 1609 seeking religious freedom. The nonconformist Puritans lived and worked for eleven years in Amsterdam and Leiden before sailing to America, some of them on the Mayflower. Mr Obama is the seventh American president directly descended from Leiden's Pilgrim Fathers.

Labels: Barack Obama, EU, Pelgrim Fathers, The Netherlands

Saint Maarten day celebration in Holland

Today was the traditional St. Maarten day in Holland, when small children come to the door with lanterns, singing the St.Maarten song. After they have sung you are expected to give them fruit or sweets or both. St. Maarten also hails in the Dutch holiday season where St. Maarten day is followed by Sinterklaas ( Saint Nicolas day) on December the 5th, Christmas December 24 and 25, and New Years Eve on December 31/January 1. The History of Saint Maarten has it that Sint Martinus was famous for his great love for the poor, the children and the people in need. As much as he could he tried to help others. In his early days, Saint Martinus was a soldier in the Roman army. On a cold day in the middle of the winter he was riding on a horse heading for home. When he arrived at the city-gate, there was a naked beggar, almost frozen to death, who asked for a penny. Maarten felt so sorry for this man, that he cut his cape in two, and gave one half to the beggar. The next night, Maarten had a strange dream. In that dream, Jesus emerged, wearing a half cape, which he gave to a beggar. From that moment, Maarten didn't want to be a soldier anymore but wanted to devote his life to Christ and God. He became a monk and several years later a bishop. He was so loved by the people that after his death his name has never been forgotten. Many churches in the Netherlands are named after him, like the Martini Church in Groningen. Also many school are named after him (Saint Maartens College).

November 11, the day he died, is the day when tens of thousands of children every year again, sing about him when they walk the street knocking on doors with mainly Chinese-lanterns and ask for an apple, pear or sweets.

Most towns in Holland, Austria, Belgium, Germany and France celebrate Sint-Maarten in the same way: When the sun goes down, and it becomes dark, children walk with their colorful lanterns by the houses singing the traditional songs as they try to gather as much candy and fruits as they can. But in Limburg (the southern part of Holland) Sint-Maarten sometimes rides on a horse through the streets, followed by many children with lanterns. In other parts of Limburg people make Sint-Maarten- bonfires. Then they walk from the village to the bonfire-location with their lanterns and sing more songs.

Labels: EU, Saint Maarten Day, The Netherlands

A special EU-Digest report on alternative energy applications in the Dutch city of Almere

Alternative Energy in the Netherlands: Almere to become the home of the worlds third largest Solar Energy Installation

Almere the most modern city in Europe, just 25 kilometers east of Amsterdam, is to be home to the world's third-largest solar energy installation. The alternative energy solar complex is being built on a 7,000-square-meter artificial island, and is expected to provide 10 percent of the city's domestic hot water. Only Denmark and Sweden have larger solar energy installations. The City of Almere, which only welcomed its first residents in 1976, has expanded to a city of 175,000 inhabitants and now is the fastest growing city in the Netherlands. Yearly some 6,000 people move there, mainly for its people friendly living environment.

The Sun Island project in Almere funded by the EU is expected to cut 50 per cent of the carbon dioxide levels required to generate necessary energy levels for the 2,700 homes. The Sun Island is just one of the many large-scale revolutionary initiatives taken by Almere that will benefit the environment, making it one of the most advanced alternative energy areas in Europe. People find it not only fun to live there but also a great place to operate a business. Almere presently has some 10,000 companies established within its borders, providing approximately 70,000 jobs, half of them filled by local residents. Another 50,000 Almere residents daily commute to work in Amsterdam by means of an efficient public transport system.

To meet its projected expansion to a city of some 400.000 inhabitants, the Almere City Council has also commissioned American architect William McDonough to develop an entire cradle-to-cradle neighborhood, called Almere Poort (Gate of Almere). It will be completed within the next five years. The cradle-to-cradle theory developed by William McDonough and German chemist and university professor Michael Baungart says that everything humanity needs can be made from environmentally-friendly, 100-per-cent sustainable material. The city, with commercial partners, has also laid an optical fiber network into homes and businesses. Its residents have access to services like flat-fee phone calls; super fast Internet; and digital radio and television (with 90 channels) and IP telephony - where voice calls are sent over the same network as data - which means calls made to numbers within the network are free of charge.

The solar power island in Almere is scheduled to open on June 21, 2009 - the longest day in the northern hemisphere.

For additional information on this article click on this link

Labels: Almere, Alternative Energy, EU, Solar Power, The Netherlands

EU awash with drugs as 90pc of shipments get through - by Ralph Riegel

An estimated nine out of every 10 drug shipments evade European customs and police detection. Despite the stunning success for the Irish authorities this week in the seizure of €675m of high-grade Colombian cocaine off the west Cork coast, the grim reality is that the drug is flooding onto European markets. The wholesale price of high-grade cocaine has plummeted from €130,000 to less than €80,000 per kilogram in the space of just four years -- while the number of cocaine addicts within the EU has doubled in seven years. Note EU-Digest: This is an unacceptable situation. Every EU member country is to blame for being lacks in the way they control the illegal import, sale and possession of addictive drugs which has become a major source of criminal activity. Member countries like the Netherlands which still provide legality to the use of drugs in various forms should be made to understand that what they thought to be a beneficial policy has now turned into a major criminal activity and needs to be cleaned up.

Labels: Drug Traffic, EU, Ireland, The Netherlands

Amsterdam Poker Capital of the World

Yesterday, November 7th, the 17th edition of the Master Classics of Poker started in Amsterdam. The Master Classics of Poker is one of the biggest and best-known international poker tournaments in Europe. Last year the total prize pot added up to more than 3.7 million Euros. This year the total prize pot will add up to almost 5 million euro. Between Friday 7th and Saturday 15th November the best poker players from all over the world will be pitted against each other. Amsterdam will be the poker capital of the world this week.

Labels: Amsterdam, EU, Poker, The Netherlands

With Obama's victory, Europe's minorities sense new possibilities : Robert Marquand

The election of Barack Obama may have revolutionized the world's view of America. But for Africans and Arabs in Europe, he is much more – a liberator figure whose success and social mobility will help them one day crack open the closed doors of European politics. In Paris's black neighborhoods, in the barber shops, the African boutiques, the crowded bus stops, the groceries, President-elect Obama's election is felt deeply and personally – creating a sense that it is time to push for more. "Obama has restored belief in the American dream," says Pap Ndiaye, who is with the School for the Advanced Study of the Social Sciences in Paris. "But his election also has a direct social effect in France, because the black youth think it is possible there [in the US] but not here.

Note EU-Digest: Very true. In some countries like the Netherlands this is already happening. Click on this link to read the story.

Labels: Barack Obama, EU, France, The Netherlands

EU-Digest focus on Ahmed Aboutaleb, the new Mayor of Rotterdam

A European Obama? - Ahmed Aboutaleb chosen as Rotterdam's new Mayor

A Moroccan-born Dutch politician who told immigrants to either integrate or take the next plane home, will become the first immigrant to lead Rotterdam, one of the Netherlands' major cities and Europe's number one container Port. On Jan. 1, Ahmed Aboutaleb will take the reins of Rotterdam, a city and subburbian region of some 1 million people, when incumbent Ivo Opstelten retires. Mr.Aboutaleb was born August 29, 1961 in Beni Sidel, Morocco, and is the son of an Imam. After growing up in his small Moroccan village, he moved to the Netherlands in 1976. He studied electrical engineering and telecommunications, and worked as a reporter for Veronica, NOS-radio and RTL Nieuws. Later, he also worked at the public relations department of the Dutch Health Ministry. In 1988, Ahmed Aboutaleb became the director of the Forum organization, which was directly related to multiculturalism in Dutch society. Ahmed Aboutaleb, who is a Muslim strongly advocates the separation of church and state (secularism).

In 1988, Aboutaleb became the director of the Forum organization, which was directly related to multiculturalism in Dutch society. The government approved Aboutaleb's appointment Friday after the municipality voted overwhelmingly for him. Ahmed Aboutaleb, 47, is presently deputy minister for social affairs in Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's government along with another foreign born deputy minister, Nebahat Albayrak, of Turkish descent. Before taking the ministerial job in 2007, he made his reputation as an alderman in Amsterdam, where he pushed migrants to integrate or leave.

Aboutaleb was propelled to prominence when he went to a mosque in Amsterdam the day after Van Gogh's murder and told the worshipers to either integrate or take the next plane home.

Rotterdam was the power base of populist anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn, who was murdered by an animal rights activist in 2002. Ruud Lubbers, a former prime minister, said Mr. Aboutaleb is an excellent choice who should be able to keep anti-immigrant sentiment under control in the city. Nearly 36 percent of Rotterdam's population is classed as "non-western immigrant" by the Dutch national statistics office. The immigrants are mainly families and descendants of Turkish and Moroccan guest workers.

Labels: Ahmed Aboutaleb, EU, Integration, Muslims, The Netherlands

Dutch economy healthier than EU counterparts

The European Commission has predicted that the Netherlands will not enter a recession and that the Dutch economy will grow by 0.4 percent in 2009. The economic outlook for the Netherlands is far rosier than for the other 14 countries in the euro zone. The EC has predicted that average growth in the euro zone in 2009 will be 0.1 percent but also said that Germany, France and Italy will see their economies stagnate and experience zero growth. The EC has also forecast that the Dutch economy will grow by 2.3 percent in 2010, well above the euro zone average of 0.9 percent.

Labels: Economy, EU, The Netherlands

Dutch flower exports wilt amid world economic downturn

The Netherlands, the world's biggest flower exporter, has seen its bloom trade wilt as luxury items get passed over for essentials amid the global economic downturn. "When people have less money to spend, they tend to buy bread instead of flowers," sighs Mike Lansbergen, sales manager for a major Dutch producer of Barberton Daisies in Pijnacker-Nootdorp in the eastern Netherlands. Flower exports to Britain, a major Dutch market, fell by almost a fifth in September, losing 19 percent from the same month in 2007, according to figures published this week by industry body HBAG. Since the beginning of the year, exports to Britain have dropped by 84 million euros.

Labels: EU, Flower Industry, The Netherlands

47,730 visitors at Horti Fair 2008 in AMSTERDAM

The international Horti Fair, which was held in Amsterdam during last week, was with 47,730 visitor very successful. 900 Companies from 49 countries took part. The horticultural sector is becoming more and more international. About half the number of visitors came from the Netherlands and the other half literally from the rest of the world and especially the large number of visitors from Eastern Europe and the Middle East attracted attention.

According to director Wim van der Loo this has confirmed the top position of the Netherlands in the worldwide horticultural sector.New pavilions such as the Logistics Pavilion, the House of Software. Good and Green Pavilion and other initiatives, such as the accent on food horticulture, were a valuable addition to the show concept. The week of the Horti Fair is also always a motive to organise extra activities in the Dutch horticultural areas. "The international drawing influence of the Horti Fair is utilised to position the Dutch
Horticulture more intensively.

Labels: EU, Horticulture, The Netherlands