Netherlands

The introduction of the 'lump sum' pension withdrawal option, initially planned for 1 July 2024, will be postponed until July 2026; the measure would allow pensioners to withdraw up to 10% of their pension savings in an una tantum lump sum

Foreign workers and freelancers involved in a conflict with their employer over pay can now take their case to court in a three-year trial of four courts in the country, The Hague, Rotterdam, Overijssel and Zeeland-West-Brabant

119 Benin bronzes stolen by British forces in 1897 and later acquired by Dutch institutions will be returned to Nigeria; one of the largest repatriations of looted artifacts to date, it shows momentum for restitution efforts continues to grow worldwide

An agreement among the government, energy companies and network operators has been reached: an emergency fund will be extended to help low-income households struggling with high energy bills

A gay couple of two fertile partners cannot deduct assisted fertilisation treatments from their taxes, Court of Cassation has ruled, but costs are deductible for heterosexual couples who can't conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse

The increase in wages resulted in over €616 billion savings in 2024, an increase of €24,2 billion over the previous year, Nederlandsche Bank reported

The number of bankruptcies increased in 2024 compared to the previous year: according to Statistics Netherlands, almost 4.300 companies were declared bankrupt last year, an increase of 30% compared to 2023

Traffic congestion in the Netherlands increased by 8% last year, according to new data from the ANWB motoring organisation, based on information from TomTom satellite navigation systems

Resident Netherlands citizens - now around 18 million - will be 19 million in 2037 and 20 million in 2058, according to new Statistics Netherlands forecasts

Sifan Hassan, Olympic marathon champion, was chosen as the World's Best Athlete for 2024 during the World Athletics Association awards gala in Munich, the first Dutch athlete to receive this honour

The Dutch government is pushing ahead with its plan to introduce free childcare - or almost so - for working parents in 2027, despite the growing shortage of staff in the sector