DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

11 May 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Budget leak: cabinet set to spend €6bn on tackling climate change

August 31, 2021
The all important briefcase with the budget plans. Photo: Finance Ministry
The all important briefcase. Photo: Finance Ministry

The caretaker government is set to spend more than €6 billion on extra measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and €400 million on combating organised crime in next month’s budget.

Details leaked to RTL Nieuws and De Telegraaf, and confirmed by sources to Nieuwsuur, revealed that the cabinet has also earmarked €200 million to reduce income inequality.

Although the cabinet lost its mandate in January, finance minister Wopke Hoekstra still has to present an annual budget to parliament on the third Tuesday in September.

The government also needs to respond to hard deadlines such as the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Urgenda case, which requires it to cut CO2 emissions by 25% of 1990 levels before the end of this year.

New schemes to tackle climate change are likely to take the form of subsidies to encourage people to insulate their homes or switch to electric cars, and more funding for existing programmes for businesses that invest in solar panels and wind turbines.

Some of the €400 million allocated to countering organised crime will go towards better protection for people at risk from criminal gangs, partly in response to the fatal shooting of journalist Peter R. de Vries in Amsterdam in July.

According to the leaked details, the government will also spend €200 million on raising the spending power of low earners, with the emphasis on single-income households, pensioners, families with children and people on the minimum wage.

The two left-wing opposition parties, GroenLinks and Labour (PvdA), who want to join the next coalition, last week called for an extra €2 billion to be spent on people at the lower end of the income scale, including pay rises for teachers and healthcare workers.

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Politics
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
Latest
Show more
Not a holiday camp: Faber plans to stop all outings for refugees
Major chaos awaits on Dutch motorways from this weekend
New pope Leo XIV is seen as socially engaged bridge-builder
Police bust record number of drugs labs, many in urban areas
National library in The Hague robbed of 6 rare Russian books
NewsHomeEconomyArt and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now