The Netherlands ignored 25% of the policy recommendations made by the EU in 2011 and 2012, according to research by the European parliament.

The Netherlands did follow through on one in four recommendations on tax and economic policy and partially completed a further 48%, the research, based on analyses by the IMF, OECD and European Commission, shows.

Member states have to submit their budget and reform plans to the European Commission which then suggests adjustments and other strategies. For example, Brussels has for years urged the Netherlands to tackle the housing market and reduce the tax break on mortgages.

Governments have on average ‘fully implemented’ 18% of the recommendations. Spain is the best in the class, having implemented 35% of recommendations made in 2011 and 2012. France is worst, with less than 5%.

‘Delaying reform inevitably undermines the aim, set by EU heads of state, of better coordinating economic policy across the EU,’ the European parliament said in a statement.