The Dutch ‘pedal much harder when the wind is against them’ and are well-primed to cope with the economic downturn, prime minister wrote in an essay in Saturday’s Financieele Dagblad.

‘That is part of our character. It is to do with our history and our seaward location,’ the prime minister wrote. Unions and employers have shown that they can work together and lessons have been learned from earlier crises, he said.
And while 2009 may be a ‘bad year’, the Netherlands is doing alright compared to the US and other European countries, he said.
Consumers not worried
A survey by Booz & Company, also in the FD, shows that most of the Dutch think the economy will begin to recover in six months time.
Some 75% expect the value of their homes to fall and 77% think their investments and savings will be worth less. But a large majority expect their own income to either stay the same or go up. And 67% do not think they will have to cut back on spending.
But a survey by brand advisors Highvalue shows that trust in the banks has gone down over the past month. Rabobank is far and away the most trusted bank, followed by Postbank. Bottom of the list is Fortis.
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