The Netherlands will invest €180m in developing countries, €40m more than at present, said foreign aid minister Bert Koenders on Thursday.

The rise is noteworthy as Koenders’ budget of around €5bn will shrink in the coming years because it is linked to the country’s gross national income which is expected to fall as a result of the economic crisis, reports the Volkskrant.
But poor countries should not suffer because of a crisis which has its roots in the rich Western world, the minister is quoted as saying.
He expects around 70% of the subsidies to flow back to Dutch firms in the form of infrastructure orders.