Archive for 'Politics'
Euro 2020: How Brussels lost their spot to host the games Posted by Sten on Jun 22, 2021
With Euro 2020 being hosted all over Europe, many countries tried to find ways to get some games hosted in their country – including Belgium. The Eurostadion (Eurostadium) was supposed to be Belgium’s point of pride in the European Cup. But yeah, it was supposed to be… What happened, and how did it go from…
What on Earth is DUO? Posted by Sten on Jun 4, 2021
If you moved to the Netherlands, there’s a good chance you had to deal with a Dutch institution called DUO. Short for Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (“Service Execution Education”), this agency is responsible to execute the education policy of the Dutch government. But why do you have to deal with them, and what do they want from…
The Controversy Over The Dutch Health Council Posted by Sten on Apr 21, 2021
Normally, you don’t hear much about it, yet it directly influences the beleid (policy) of the Dutch government. These past weeks, it made headlines, however, as it made some controversial advies (advice). I’m talking about the Gezondheidsraad (health council). Let’s talk about that council. How did it come to be, who’s part of it, and what is its influence…
How 4 Words Caused a Political Crisis in the Netherlands Posted by Sten on Apr 5, 2021
The past two weeks, the Netherlands was in de ban van (under the spell) of the ominous words “Positie Omtzigt, functie elders” (position Omtzigt, job elsewhere). Who is Omtzigt, where do these words come from and what does this all mean? Here’s how these four words caused a political crisis in the Netherlands. Who are the verkenners? Before we…
How The Dutch Elections Work Posted by Sten on Mar 15, 2021
On Wednesday, it’s time for new elections in the Netherlands! With 37 parties and hundreds of electable people, choosing a party and a person in that party can be daunting. So how do the Dutch make that choice? How does the Dutch voting system work? The Dutch have what’s called a parlementaire democratie (parliamentary democracy) with a meerpartijenstelsel…