The Netherlands is one of the countries which will be most affected in the event of a ‘hard’ Brexit, the IMF has warned. Should Britain pull out of the EU without any fixed trade deal in place next March, the Dutch national income would fall by 0.7%. Only Ireland with a projected fall back of 4% in national income would be worse affected, the IMF said. Britain itself would suffer a loss of 4% of NNI. The Fund's report said a ‘soft’ Brexit scenario - with the UK out of the customs union but retaining access to the single market and agreeing to abide by EU rules – ‘would imply almost zero cost for the EU as a whole.’ The publication of the report marks the first time the Washington DC-based IMF has made any comment on Brexit. Meanwhile, the European Commission said on Thursday that the chance of a no-deal Brexit is increasing and that companies and private individuals should prepare for every eventuality. 'Tthe UK will no longer be a member state after withdrawal and will no longer enjoy the same benefits as a member,' the commission said.  'Therefore, preparing for the UK becoming a third country is of paramount importance, even in the case of a deal between the EU and the UK.' In particular, 'the citizens who will be affected by the withdrawal of the United Kingdom, as well as the public administrations that serve them, should also prepare for 30 March 2019,' the statement said. Earlier this week, three Dutch MPs filed questions calling on the government to outline the consequences of a no-deal Brexit on British citizens in the Netherlands and Dutch nationals in Britain.  More >

Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok says he 'regrets' the concern his comments about refugees and multicultural societies, made at a private meeting in July, have caused. The minister has come under fire from across the political spectrum for the remarks, made at a meeting for Dutch workers with international organisations, which were leaked to television programme Zembla. Blok said in a statement that his role at the meeting was to stimulate debate. 'In order to do this... I used illustrations which were unfortunate,' he said. 'I regret the fact that they have caused upset.' The minister, who was appointed to the job in February, went on to clarify his comments on the former Dutch colony of Suriname, which he had described as a failed state due to its different ethnic groups. 'When I used the term "failed state" I was not using it in the sense of the usual international definition. But while the different population groups live peacefully with each other... ethnic origins largely determine political choice,' he said. But the minister did not make any specific reference to his comments about there not being a single successful multicultural society, or about 'coloured people' being beaten up in eastern Europe. Europe He did reaffirm that the coalition agreement remains central to his role as foreign minister and that he is fully committed to developing a European asylum policy with a fair mechanism for spreading new arrivals across the EU. The Volkskrant describes Bloks's apology as 'cautious' and points out that the minister must have been well aware he was being filmed, yet did nothing to mute his comments. And Socialist MP Sadet Karabulut said: 'This can't have been a slip of the tongue. It is the right wing noise that fits in with the plain populism of today.' A group of D66 members have also called on Blok to either make a proper apology or resign. D66 is part of the coalition government. Blok's statements show 'a deep mistrust in the multicultural society which has developed in the Netherlands and around the globe over the past 100 years,' the members said in their letter.  More >

MPs from two ruling parties VVD and CDA, as well as the opposition Labour party, have asked ministers to outline the consequences of a no-deal Brexit on British citizens in the Netherlands and Dutch nationals in Britain. Peter Omtzigt, Anne Mulder and Lodewijk Asscher point out that the European financial markets regulator has reportedly warned financial institutions to prepare for a no-deal breakaway and describe the current situation within the British government as 'chaotic'. 'What perspectives do Dutch/British mixed marriage couples have to remain living and working in Britain in a no-deal scenario?,' the MPs ask in their list of 11 questions. In addition, they want to know when, post Brexit, a Dutch/British couple would have to move to the Netherlands for the British partner to be exempt from the integration requirements which non-EU nationals have to comply with. The MPs also want the cabinet to establish special desks at Dutch diplomatic offices in Britain where people can go for help and advice. They have requested answers from the cabinet within three weeks. Nationality An increasing number of British nationals in the Netherlands have been applying for Dutch nationality but the ban on dual nationality is a major obstacle for those without a Dutch partner. The new government had committed to reform the laws on dual nationality but as yet, no concrete steps have been taken. A justice ministry spokesman told DutchNews.nl in April ‘no announcements’ can be made about the contents, shape and time-line for changing dual nationality legislation. The Netherlands is home to some 86,000 people with British nationality, of whom 47,000 are first generation migrants, according to figures from the national statistics office CBS.  More >