The Dutch economy contracted by 0.3% in the third quarter of this year, compared with the second quarter, putting the country on the verge of recession, according to preliminary figures issued by the national statistics office CBS on Tuesday.

It is the first time since the second quarter of 2009 that the economy has contracted on a quarterly basis, the CBS said.
German and French growth figures, also published on Tuesday were considerably better, at 0.5% and 0.4%, the Financieele Dagblad reported.
Consumers
The CBS said the Dutch problems have been boosted by waning consumer spending which is down 1% on a year ago.
Economic affairs minister Maxime Verhagen described the new growth figures as ‘not good news’.
‘Consumer and employer confidence has taken a knock and we are going to feel the effects. The warning signs for the economy are on orange,’ he said.
NRC economics correspondent Maarten Schinkel said the figures are ‘totally unexpected.’
Central bank
Earlier this month, the Dutch central bank said the economy grew by 0.2% in the third quarter and will contract by 0.1% in the fourth. However, the calculations have a 0.3% margin of error because of the uncertainty of the current climate.
‘Given that France and Germany show economic growth, the Dutch contraction is particularly shocking,’ Schinkel said.