First Dutch Mitsubishi Outlander produced

The first Mitsubishi Outlander has rolled off the NedCar production line in the Dutch town of Born. Mitsubishi decided to move European production of the 4-wheel drive from Japan to the Netherlands because of an unexpected increase in demand.
Since the production of the Smart ForFour ended, NedCar has only been producing the Mitsubishi Colt. The [...]

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Dutch government says purchasing power to rise

Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos says the purchasing power of most people in the Netherlands will increase next year. On Thursday, he and his fellow ministers agreed next year’s budget which will be presented on 16 September.
Over recent weeks, it has been widely reported that people on low incomes would be worse off in 2009. [...]

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100 jobs to go at Océ research in Venlo

Photocopier and printer maker Océ is to shed 100 of the 1,000 jobs at its research and development division in Venlo, the company announced on Thursday.
In July, Océ said 600 jobs would go worldwide.
The job losses affect 60 permanent and 40 temporary staff. Océ says the jobs must be cut because the company has been [...]

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“Frietmuseum” opens in Bruges

The Belgian city of Bruges has opened a museum dedicated to the potato chip in the Saaihalle.
According to Flanders Tourism, the “Frietmuseum” is the first of its kind in the world.
The educational museum includes machines from the 18th century which were used to make chips, cooking pots, potato peelers and ovens.
There’s also a snack shop [...]

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Wanted: A job for a foreign student!

How difficult is it for foreign students to find a job in Maastricht? Do you really need to speak Dutch? And can you find a job that also looks good on your curriculum vitae.
Read the article in the newest edition of Maastricht University’s paper Observant.

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More immigrants than emigrants

* Population growth accelerating
* More immigrants from Europe
* Mortality rate higher
In the first six months of 2008, the population increased by nearly 30 thousand, because more people arrived in the Netherlands than left the country. Net migration has not been positive since the [...]

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People in Limburg feel less healthy

A majority in the Dutch population evaluate their own health as ranging from good to excellent. Nearly one in five individuals evaluate their own state of health as rather poor. This category is overrepresented in the province of Limburg. They visit their GP relatively often. This emerges from the Health Survey published by Statistics Netherlands.
Majority [...]

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5-6 Sept: The Internationalisation of Chinese and Indian firms: Trends, Motivations and Strategy

Maastricht, the Netherlands, September 5-6 , 2008
The internationalisation of Indian and Chinese firms is an emerging phenomenon which is likely to change the landscape for many industrial sectors and with potentially large implications for corporate competitiveness and the structure of industries.
What is this phenomenon and how is it driven by the growth [...]

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6 Oct: GNE lecture: Early Anglo-Russian connections: The Old English court in Moscow

Mr Peter van Nunen on “Early Anglo-Russian connections: The Old English court in Moscow”
[Power Point presentation, in English]
The Old English Court in Moscow
The Old English Court is a stone house erected at the end of the fifteenth century in Varvarka, one of the main streets in the trading quarter of Kitaj Gorod on [...]

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More bicycles than people

The Dutch statistics office reports that the number of bicycles sold last year rose by 80,000 to 1.4 million. Around 85 percent of the population owns a bicycle and there are now 18 million bicycles in the Netherlands, which has just over 16 million people.
Last year the Dutch cycled a total of 14.7 billion [...]

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More money for gifted children in schools

The Dutch government has set aside ten million euros for the education of gifted children in primary schools. Deputy Education Minister Sharon Dijksma says at the moment lessons are not challenging enough for very intelligent children.
Research shows that a third of gifted children gain lower grades than they are actually capable of. She says, some [...]

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28-31 Aug: Preuvenemint culinary festival in Maastricht

Preuvenemint is a four-day culinary event on the Vrijthof square in the city of Maastricht. It is held yearly in the last full weekend of august, so on the last Sunday of August and the three days preceding it. Consequently, Preuvenemint 2008 is held from Thursday August 28 until, and included, Sunday August 31.
The Vrijthof [...]

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US war graveyard in Margraten appeals for volunteers

The US war graveyard in Margraten, Limburg, needs people to adopt missing US soldiers from World War II.
All the 8,302 graves in the cemetery now have someone to look after them, but more volunteers are needed to take care of the Walls of the Missing, where the names of those whose bodies were never [...]

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Baby dormice born in Limburg

Six baby garden dormice, a breed that is almost extinct in the Netherlands, have been born in south Limburg, reports Thursday’s Telegraaf.
A spokesman for the local conservationist group told the paper the news is ‘hopeful but we can’t hang out the flag yet’. In September last year conservationists reported that only nine garden dormice still [...]

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1 Sept: Opening academic year at Maastricht University

‘Based in Europe, focused on the world’
On Monday 1 September 2008, Maastricht University celebrates its official opening of the 2008-2009 academic year. The central theme for the opening ceremony, ‘Based in Europe, focused on the world’ is closely connected with the strategic international ambitions of Maastricht University, with a main focus on partnering in [...]

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Prominent speakers open academic year

Dutch universities are vying with each other to find the most prominent speakers to open their academic year. Wageningen University appears to be the winner with Kofi Annan.
The former UN Secretary-General will speak on food security and the price of agricultural products in Wageningen on 1 September. The University of Tilburg has also scooped a [...]

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Disaster alerts to be sent by text messages

The Dutch public are soon to receive warnings via their mobile phones during disaster situations. Interior Minister Guusje ter Horst is satisfied with the results of recent trials, and thinks the system is ready to be introduced nationwide.
The text messages will be sent using Cell Broadcast messaging, a technology that allows messages to be sent [...]

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Subsidies withdrawn from performing arts groups

The Dutch Fund for the Performing Arts has announced it is withdrawing the subsidy of 33 orchestras and bands for the next four years. In total 59 arts organisations will lose their current funding. Sixteen theatre groups have also received a negative decision.
Thirty-six new initiatives will be given funding for the next four years instead.
Source: [...]

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Only 1 Belgian zoo complies with animal welfare laws

Only one of Belgium’s 15 zoos complies with laws designed to protect wild animals that are held in captivity, according to a study carried out by the animal rights group GAIA.
Members of GAIA visited the zoos during the past 12 months to see if they respect legislation designed to ensure animal welfare and visitor safety. [...]

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Government says Dutch identity is respect for laws

Residents of the Netherlands do not have to conduct themselves as ‘Dutch’ as long as they endorse the core values of the Dutch constitutional state. This is the nub of an official comment given by the cabinet on the report “Identification with the Netherlands” by the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR).
“The core values of [...]

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Pukkelpop attracts 150,000 music-lovers

The 23rd Pukkelpop music festival in the village of Kiewit, near Hasselt (Limburg province) has been hailed a resounding success.
A record 150,000 music-lovers attended the three-day festival of alternative music which saw 200 bands performed on a total of eight separate stages.
Read article: Expatica Belgium, 18 August 2008

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The Germans are coming

Like other countries in Western Europe, the Netherlands has experienced its wave of Polish and other Eastern European migrant workers. But now the Germans are coming. Not plumbers and decorators this time, but highly qualified technicians.
Read full article: Radio Netherlands:, 20 August 2008

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CBS: Dutch reject further EU Integration

Popular support for the European Union has plummeted in the Netherlands since the early 1990s. In 2006, a distinct majority of Dutch voters rejected further European integration, according to the Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS).
In 2006, 55 percent of the Dutch electorate rejected further European integration, 26 percent supported it and 19 percent were undecided. [...]

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Minister: Statutory protection for “motorway panoramas”

Environment Minister Jacqueline Cramer is introducing statutory protection for nine “motorway panoramas.” Her proposal is intended to guarantee that drivers can enjoy the scenery.
The proposal appears in the draft version of the report ‘View of Beautiful Netherlands’ (Zicht op Mooi Nederland). It is important that there is something beautiful to see along motorways “because research [...]

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Integration against obesity

The Dutch Social and Cultural Planning Office reports that many of the country’s migrants are overweight. More than half of the Turks, Moroccans and Antilleans are obese. People with overweight have a higher chance of contracting illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
The Social and Cultural Planning Office says that a recent study shows [...]

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Netherlands launches new safe sex campaign

A new safe sex campaign has kicked off in the Netherlands, urging young people to get tested for sexually transmitted infections and to use condoms.
STI AIDS Netherlands decided to launch the campaign after an investigation by the University of Maastricht revealed that while almost 50 percent of sexually-active people between 18 and 35 are [...]

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South Limburg teacher finds new cosmic object

Hanny van Arkel was poring over photos of galaxies on the Internet in August 2007 when she stumbled across a strange object in the night sky: a bright, gaseous mass with a gaping hole in its middle.
Hanny van Arkel made her discovery by poring over images of galaxies on an astronomy Web site.
“It looked [...]

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24 Aug: Bruis Festival in Maastricht

Music festival, with international artists, international art market (Africa, Latin America, Asia), workshops, flea-market etc on the Market square in Maastricht.
Organised by Muziekgieterij and Mondiaal Centrum Maastricht.
Programme and more information: www.bruismaastricht.nl
Related article: Underground Rock and Pop Music at Muziekgieterij Maastricht

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Wanted: British expats for ITV series - No place like home

ITV Channel in the UK currently looking for homesick British expats all over the world who are considering returning to UK.
Please see announcement below:
 

ARE YOU A BRIT LIVING ABROAD BUT THINKING ABOUT COMING HOME TO THE UK?
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS?
ITV1 are making the second series of ‘No Place Like Home?’ about British [...]

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