Netherlands

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Dutch climate activist shareholder group Follow This announced that it was suspending its nine-year campaign to file climate resolutions forcing oil and gas companies to cut emissions due to a lack of investor support, Reuters reported on April 9.

Netherlands: Climate Activist Follow This Suspends Campaign Against Oil Companies

Bulgaria

Romania

Austria

Economics

Politics

Austria is set to lift its veto on Romania's and Bulgaria's full accession to Europe's free-passport Schengen area during a meeting of interior ministers from Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary in Budapest on Nov. 22, the Financial Times reported on Nov. 19, citing sources close to negotiations.

Romania, Bulgaria: Austria To Lift Veto on Romania's and Bulgaria's Full Schengen Membership

A junior minister from the centrist New Social Contract party in the Dutch coalition government resigned due to racist remarks allegedly made by other Cabinet members regarding violent incidents targeting supporters of Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv, which the far-right Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders blamed on Arab and Muslim migrants, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported on Nov. 15.

Netherlands: Dutch Coalition Government Reels Following Junior Minister Resignation

The Hague Court of Appeal annulled a 2021 Dutch district court order for Shell to cut its emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels, although the court said Shell still had an obligation to limit its carbon dioxide emissions, the Financial Times reported on Nov. 12.

Netherlands: Shell Wins Appeal Against 2021 Dutch Order To Cut Emissions

The Netherlands narrowly averted a government crisis over internal ruling coalition disagreements on migration policy after far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders withdrew demands for drastic measures potentially breaching EU law under pressure from his coalition partners, the Financial Times reported on Oct. 24. 

Netherlands: Dutch Government Narrowly Avoids Collapse Over Migration Policies

Germany

Military & Security

The European Commission has listed eight flagship defense initiatives that could be labeled "defense projects of common interest" and thus benefit from EU funds, Euractiv reported Oct. 21, citing a draft document.

EU: Brussels Lists European Defence Projects of Common Interest that Would Require EU Funds

The Dutch government unveiled its first budget since taking office in May 2024, introducing gradual cuts to development aid by about two-thirds through 2027 to reduce pressure on a growing deficit amid tax cuts and rising spending on defense, Reuters reported Sept. 17.

Netherlands: Right Wing Coalition Government Unveils First Budget, Prepares Tighter Migration Policies

Luxembourg

Denmark

France

Belgium

Berlin announced that the country will extend border controls with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark for at least another six months to ''further restrict irregular immigration'', reported the Financial Times on Sept. 9.

Germany: Berlin Extends Temporary Immigration Controls to All Land Borders

Snapshots

United States

Spain

Italy

Ireland

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order after delivering remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an April 2 event in the Rose Garden in Washington. The U.S.–EU trade dispute is on track to escalate as Brussels prepares retaliation against Washington's sweeping 20% tariff on EU goods, increasing the risk of a protracted tit-for-tat trade war that would disrupt supply chains, slow growth on both sides of the Atlantic and strain broader cooperation. 

Global Trade

The developments could see a protracted tit-for-tat trade war that disrupts supply chains, slows growth on both sides of the Atlantic and strains broader cooperation.

Brussels Prepares to Respond to the Latest Trump Tariffs

China

U.S.-China Relations

The United States and the West are likely to continue tightening export controls on China's semiconductor and other high-tech industries to close loopholes exploited by Chinese companies.

Tightened Western Tech Export Controls on China Signal More to Come

The four leaders of the parties that form the new Dutch government,  Geert Wilders, Dilan Yesilgoz, Caroline van der Plas and Pieter Omtzigt, (L-R) on May 16 in The Hague.

Global Elections

While some elements of the new Dutch ruling coalition's agreement, such as a tightening of migration policies and environmental measures, will likely cause friction with the European Union and the Dutch business community, the far right's need to collaborate with mainstream coalition partners has somewhat moderated the new government's agenda.

Building a New Government Moderates the Dutch Far Right

Assessments

Europe

A woman waves a French flag in support of protesting farmers as a tractor drives by in Agen, southwerstern France, on Jan. 25, 2024.

Farmers across Europe are protesting environmental regulations, foreign competition and falling government support, which will likely impede Brussels' ability to enact climate reforms and negotiate new trade deals.

Growing Farmer Protests Add to the EU's Political Woes

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Japan

Finland

Russia

As 2024 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five events as measured by geopolitical impact.

Cyber

Israel-Hamas Conflict

2023: A Geopolitical Review

Lithuania

Malta

Latvia

Czech Republic

Greece

Estonia

Sweden

United Kingdom

Portugal

Poland

Croatia

Cyprus

Slovakia

Slovenia

Hungary

Members of the European Parliament take part in voting on the Artificial Intelligence Act during a plenary session at the European Parliament.

The EU's recently negotiated Artificial Intelligence Act will bolster the European Union's dominance as a regulatory heavyweight in emerging technologies, yet anticipated enforcement challenges and stringent stipulations with the Act risk impeding AI innovation within the bloc.

EU Lawmakers Clinch Agreement on Artificial Intelligence Act 

Columns

On Geopolitics

Demonstrators hold Spanish flags during a protest called by the country’s far-right Vox party in Madrid, Spain, on Nov. 12, 2023. 

Far-right parties are expected to perform strongly in sub-national, national and EU elections next year, portending significant shifts in governance and policies.

In Europe, Far-Right Parties Are Again on the Rise

Geert Wilders (C), leader of the far-right Party for Freedom, sits next to Frans Timmermans (R), leader of the Green Left-Labor Party alliance, and Henri Bontenbal (L), leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal party, during a meeting in the Dutch parliament on Nov. 24, 2023, in The Hague, Netherlands. The party leaders are discussing the formation of a coalition government following Wilders' victory in the Nov. 22 general election.

Social Issues

The Netherlands' far-right Party for Freedom will moderate its platform as it struggles to attract coalition partners and win a parliamentary majority.

Despite a Far-Right Victory, Constraints Will Moderate the Netherlands' Next Government 

Posters for different political parties are displayed near the Dutch parliament building on November 19, 2023, ahead of the country's general election.

The Nov. 22 vote will result in long coalition talks that will likely eventually yield a moderate, fiscally conservative government that's less environmentally ambitious than its predecessor.

Previewing the Netherlands' General Election

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Argentina

Taiwan

The presidential candidate for the Union por la Patria party, Sergio Massa (R), speaks next to the presidential candidate for the La Libertad Avanza party, Javier Milei, on Nov. 12, 2023, during a presidential debate in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina will hold the second round of its presidential election Nov. 19.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Argentina's Presidential Runoff, the Registration Deadline for the Taiwanese Presidential Race

An EU sign is seen at a Romanian border crossing.

Bulgaria and Romania have set out to join the EU's passport-free zone by the year's end, but Austrian and Dutch skepticism will likely keep delaying their membership and the associated economic benefits.

The Challenges Facing Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen Bids

Rail cars loaded with steel sit at the ThyssenKrupp Schwelgern steel plant on May 30, 2018 in Duisburg, Germany. 

The European Union and the United States will increase efforts to deconflict their trade and climate policies ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential and EU parliamentary elections, but lingering disagreements will not allow for a complete respite of Trump-era tariffs on EU steel and aluminum.

EU-U.S. Steel and Aluminum Negotiations Make Limited Headway

The Netherlands

SITUATION REPORTS

Netherlands: Climate Activist Follow This Suspends Campaign Against Oil Companies

Romania, Bulgaria: Austria To Lift Veto on Romania's and Bulgaria's Full Schengen Membership

Netherlands: Dutch Coalition Government Reels Following Junior Minister Resignation

Netherlands: Shell Wins Appeal Against 2021 Dutch Order To Cut Emissions

Netherlands: Dutch Government Narrowly Avoids Collapse Over Migration Policies

EU: Brussels Lists European Defence Projects of Common Interest that Would Require EU Funds

Netherlands: Right Wing Coalition Government Unveils First Budget, Prepares Tighter Migration Policies

Germany: Berlin Extends Temporary Immigration Controls to All Land Borders

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