Advanced search
image
Travel & living abroad

Europe

Netherlands

 Flag of Netherlands

Last updated: January 2009

Country information

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The Netherlands' Relations with Neighbours

The Netherlands places great importance on maintaining good relations with its neighbouring countries: its Benelux partners (Belgium and Luxembourg), Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Scandinavian countries. The Netherlands is closely engaged in developments within the European Union. Over the coming year, the focus of the Dutch Government will be particularly on climate and energy policies, internal and external security and stability, and ensuring a leading role for the EU in the world.

The Netherlands' Relations with the International Community

The Netherlands largely pursues its foreign policy within the framework of multilateral organisations such as the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The Netherlands was a founding member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the UN, the Western European Union (WEU), NATO and the European Communities (now the EU). The Netherlands sees its participation in such organisations as increasingly important given the need to tackle more and more problems, e.g. energy and climate change issues, on a worldwide scale. The Dutch concern for democracy and human rights has also led the Netherlands to promote the development of international law. The International Court of Justice of the UN has its seat in The Hague, as do the International Criminal Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The Netherlands is a regular contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. The Netherlands also sees development aid as an integral part of its foreign policy, and allocates 0.8% of its gross national product to pure development aid. Sweden, Norway and Denmark are the only other countries to keep to the international agreement on this allocation key.

The Netherlands' relations with the UK

The Netherlands and the UK are old and close friends and neighbours. Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Wim Kok agreed to further intensify relations in February 1999. There are regular exchanges between ministers and at political levels across a broad range of policy fields. The two countries work particularly closely on EU and foreign policy issues, and in the field of social and employment policies. The last bilateral meeting between the Foreign Secretary and the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs took place in July 2007. There is extremely close co-operation between the Dutch and UK Armed Forces, and a UK-Netherlands Amphibious Force is based in Portsmouth.

One element of the 1999 Prime Ministerial agreement was the establishment of a bilateral conference where representatives of various sectors of society could meet informally to discuss topical issues of mutual interest. Because the first conference was held in the Dutch town Apeldoorn in 2000, the Conference is now referred to as the Apeldoorn Conference Series. A Young Apeldoorn Conference Series has also been established. After 2000, subsequent (Young) Apeldoorn Conferences have been held in Edinburgh (2001), Amsterdam (2003), Norwich (March 2005). The Hague (2007) and Belfast (2008). The next conference is planned to take place in Belfast in October 2009. See for more information the website of the Apeldoorn Conference Series.

Apeldoorn Conference

Cultural Relations with the UK

Approximately 73,000 (2009) British people live in the Netherlands. 1.8 million Dutch people visited the UK in 2007, while 1.7 million British people stayed overnight in tourist accommodation in the Netherlands. Most British visitors stay in the province of North Holland, and in the four largest cities (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam & Utrecht).

At least forty Dutch towns and cities are twinned with British towns and cities. The BBC is the oldest foreign language TV broadcaster in the Netherlands. BBC radio and four BBC TV channels are widely available. British newspapers and magazines are also well read, as over 75% of the population speaks and reads English.

The British Council is the UK’s principal agency for cultural relations with the Netherlands and other countries. Their objective is to build mulually beneficial relationships with people in the UK and other countries. They promote the UK in its entirety, reflecting and celebrating its cultural, ethnic and political diversity. For more information, please visit the website of the British Council Netherlands.

The website of the Netherlands Embassy in London includes information on Netherlands-related cultural events in the UK.

Recent Visits

Inward:

  • Prime Minister Balkenende visited London for talks with the Prime Minister in 5 March 2004 and in October 2002.
  • Foreign Minister Ben Bot visited the UK for talks with Jack Straw in January 2004.
  • Foreign Maxime Verhagen visited the UK for talks with Jack Straw in July 2007.

Outward:

  • Prime Minister Tony Blair held talks with Wim Kok in the Netherlands, 4 June 1999.
  • The Foreign Secretary held talks with Dutch Foreign Minister Van Aartsen in The Hague, 21 February 2002.
  • Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell visited the Netherlands in March 2003.
  • Foreign Office Minister Lord Triesman visited the Netherlands in November 2005
  • Foreign Office Minister Dr Howells visited the Netherlands in November 2005
  • Minister for Europe Geoff Hoon visited the Netherlands in January 2007.

Country information

Pick Another Country :

Share this with: