The Dutch need to improve their German: minister

The Dutch need to improve their standard of German if they want to keep the good relationship between the Netherlands and Germany at the same level, foreign affairs minister Frans Timmermans said in an interview with German paper Die Welt.


‘People think English is enough and that is a tragic misunderstanding,’ Timmermans told the paper.
Now fewer Dutch people speak good German, the Netherlands risks losing its advantage over other countries, Timmermans said. In particular, small German firms are not happy about being spoken to in English.
Agree with the minister? Have your say using the comment box below.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation