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News / 18 December 2023

Recommendations for Dutch foreign policy that works for people and planet, everywhere


The parliamentary elections in the Netherlands are over, and the dust has somewhat settled. No matter what government emerges from the process, one thing is clear: in the Netherlands the main focus is on the Netherlands. Foreign affairs were hardly mentioned during the elections and the same applies to the process of forming a new coalition. More alarmingly, some of the winners in the elections want to cut themselves off even further from the world around us.

But the Netherlands is not an island: we are closely interconnected with the world beyond our borders. Our economy depends on international trade, and the energy that comes out of our wall sockets and the food on our plates often come from abroad. Moreover, decisions that we make can have far-reaching consequences in other countries around the world. The Netherlands’ international footprint is disproportionately large.

In the weeks following the elections, Both ENDS is looking at how Dutch foreign policy can be influenced in the coming years to reduce our footprint abroad and to work in the interests of people and planet. We will be doing that in four double interviews, each with an in-house expert and someone from outside the organization. The interviews will also be posted on ViceVersa online.

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21 December 2023: The Netherlands is certainly not more Catholic than the Pope

23 January 2024:  Is the Netherlands’ reputation as a world leader in the field of water knowledge deserved?
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5 January 2024:  'We can not have a transition when we do not talk about consumption patterns'

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