# Netherlands

(LtoR) Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (up L), President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen meet on the sidelines of a special European Council summit in Brussels on February 20, 2020, held to discuss the next long-term budget of the European Union (EU). (Photo by Virginia Mayo / POOL / AFP)
(LtoR) Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Ku […]
Budget, coronavirus, Eurozone, Infographic

Sweden and Denmark step out of the shadows as EU’s frugals

Normally perceived as team players, Sweden and Denmark have found themselves playing the unaccustomed role of outliers in EU politics, blocking the widely backed COVID-19 recovery plan
5 days ago
(FILES) (COMBO) This combination of file pictures made on June 10, 2020, shows (L-R) Luxembourg's Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna on December 4, 2017, in Brussels; Spain's Minister for Economic Affairs Nadia Calvino on June 8, 2018, in Madrid; and Ireland's Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe on October 8, 2019, in Dublin. - The new head of the Eurogroup will replace Mario Centeno, Portugal's soft-spoken finance minister who is stepping down after just two-and-a-half years. Luxembourg's Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna, Spain's Nadia Calvino, and Ireland's Paschal Donohoe, are among three names strongly rumoured to replace Centeno. (Photo by AFP)
(FILES) (COMBO) This combination of file […]
coronavirus, Eurozone, Infographic

Eurozone picks new chief as pandemic recession looms

Who will be the next Eurogroup president? Eurozone finance ministers will meet to elect a new president, filling a key job just as the continent is facing the worst recession in EU history.
6 days ago
Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives for a European Union Summit at the Europa building in Brussels on December 12, 2019. - European Union leaders meet without Britain on December 12, but their departing neighbour's absence will not make agreeing a budget any easier. Inside the chamber, the clash over climate take Brexit's place as the dominant theme of the summit, the first to be chaired by incoming EU Council president Charles Michel. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)
Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte a […]
Budget, coronavirus, Eurozone, Health, Infographic, Video, Video 3D

Dutch ‘preachers and salesmen’ lead EU frugality drive

The Netherlands will be at the centre of upcoming talks over European spending on the coronavirus crisis, driven by a mix of traditional Calvinist frugality and political reality, experts say
7 days ago
The mayor of the Slovenian town of Nova Gorica Klemen Miklavic (L) and his Italian counterpart, mayor of Gorizia Rodolfo Ziberna, cut a symbolic ribbon to inaugurate the reopening of the border between Slovenia and Italy in Nova Gorica, Slovenia on June 15, 2020. Photo: Jure Makovec / AFP
The mayor of the Slovenian town of Nova […]
coronavirus, Tourism, Transportation and mobility, Infographic, Video

EU’s haphazard route to post-lockdown border reopenings

As European countries emerge from coronavirus lockdowns and lift travel restrictions, the EU has aimed to coordinate border reopening among members - but the process has been far from harmonious
4 weeks ago
(FILES) In this file handout photo and released by Airbus on May 29, 2019 shows Airbus commercial aircrafts on the tarmac in Toulouse as the company is celebrating its 50th anniversary. - French entrepreneur Didier Cauquil walks, concerned, through the aisles of his factory where only six machines out of 32 operate: the crisis in the aeronautical sector has brought the company to its knees, which manufactures parts near Toulouse, the headquarter for Airbus. (Photo by Jean-Vincent Reymondon / Airbus / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / AIRBUS/ MASTER FILMS/ JEAN-VINCENT REYMONDON" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
(FILES) In this file handout photo and r […]
coronavirus, Europe's Workforce, Health, Transportation and mobility, Infographic, Video 3D

France pledges 15 bn euros of aid for aviation sector

France has pledged 15 billion euros ($16.9 billion) for the country's aviation industry, where thousands of jobs are on the line as the coronavirus crisis hammers the travel industry
1 month ago
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY MARIETTE LE ROUX (FILES) This file photo taken on December 6, 2008 shows a prostitute, waiting for clients behind her window in the red light district of Amsterdam. Dutch prostitute Terry van der Zijden proudly points to a photo she took of the bedroom in which she plies her trade; a sexless still-life neatly mounted on the wall of an Amsterdam art gallery. "There is my bed, that is my bureau" she states matter-of-factly in front of a picture of a room with tranquil green linen, scatter cushions and potted flowers -- part of an exhibition entitled "This is my workplace" by sex workers who completed a photography course in June. AFP PHOTO/ANOEK DE GROOT (Photo by ANOEK DE GROOT / AFP)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY MARIETTE LE ROUX […]
coronavirus, Europe's Workforce, Health, Video, Video 3D

Sex workers’ hands tied under virus lockdowns

Across Europe, the coronavirus pandemic has forced many sex workers to rely on hardship funds and online platforms to make ends meet with many worried about the future after lockdowns are lifted
2 months ago
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives to address a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, who attends via video link, at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on May 18, 2020 on the effects of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Kay NIETFELD / POOL / AFP)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives […]
Budget, coronavirus, Eurozone, Health, Infographic, Video 3D

French-German recovery plan faces tough Brussels test

The road to clinch an EU recovery plan remains difficult, officials have warned, despite the surprise entente between Berlin and Paris to back a 500 billion euro rescue
2 months ago
Primary school students arrive at school in The Hague, on May 11, 2020, as primaries, playgroups and childcare reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Sem van der Waal / ANP / AFP
Primary school students arrive at school […]
coronavirus, Europe's Youth, Health, Infographic, Video

Cheers and tears as Europe’s kids go back to school

Excited children greeted their friends and weary parents got used to early starts again as schools in several European countries reopened after a nearly two-month coronavirus break
2 months ago
A person wearing a protective face mask walks by the EU Commission building bearing a banner that reads "Coronavirus Global Response" in Brussels on May 6, 2020, as the country is under lockdown to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / POOL / AFP)
A person wearing a protective face mask […]
Budget, coronavirus, Health, Infographic, Video

Europe’s ‘historic’ recession threatens eurozone survival

The EU has forecast that the eurozone economy will contract by a staggering 7.7 percent in 2020, warning the wreckage from the coronavirus outbreak could endanger the single currency
2 months ago