The big stories in the Netherlands this year spread over a range of topics. NL Times readers were most interested in Joost Klein and his disqualification from the Eurovision Song Contest, ASML nearly turning its back on the Netherlands due to threatened restrictions on foreign workers and international education, and the growing trend in arsons and attacks with powerful explosives, with some involving multiple victims. Here is a summary of the top 10 biggest stories on NL Times in 2024.

Explosive attacks

The alarming increase in the number of explosive attacks targeting homes and businesses in the Netherlands continued in 2024. In November, the police said they expected the year to end with well over 1,000 such attacks committed. The police called it “a small miracle” that, except for one person dying when an explosive he was placing went off early this year, there have been no fatalities.

The police also said the attacks increasingly seem to be personal in nature, and not in the organized crime environment. “Based on the incidents investigated in 2023, it is estimated that over half of them involved ‘homemade conflicts’ between non-criminal citizens. These are often conflicts in the relational sphere.”

On December 7, less than a month after the police published that report, an explosion likely targeting a bridal shop on Tarwekamp in The Hague killed six people and injured four others. The blast and resulting fire destroyed the bridal store, a bar, and five apartments, and damaged at least 14 other residences. Sources told multiple newspapers that a dispute between an ex-boyfriend and the bridal shop owner, possibly involving an SUV, may have been behind the fatal explosion.

The police arrested four suspects in the aftermath of the blast. They were charged with intentionally causing a life-threatening explosion at the bridal shop, arson with regard to the destruction of a vehicle there, and planning to commit an arson related to their actions six days earlier. Earlier this week, they were ordered to remain in pre-trial detention at least until their next hearing, which will likely take place in mid-March.

Joost Klein

Joost Klein’s disqualification from the Eurovision Song Contest made many headlines this year. Klein got disqualified just ahead of the finals for being aggressive toward a camerawoman after his semi-final performance.

The Swedish authorities launched a criminal investigation against Klein but later dropped it due to a lack of evidence that he actually wanted to scare or harm the woman in question.

Klein’s treatment resulted in the Netherlands dithering about sending a contestant to Eurovision next year, but broadcaster AVROTROS ultimately decided to compete.

Klein also dominated Netherlands residents’ Google searches this year, with the performer making it into the top 5 of nearly every category in Google’s annual trend report. And he topped the list of most watched YouTube music videos in the Netherlands.

Klein declined to make a bid to take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The country will be represented by Dutch-Congolese singer Claude, known for his international 2022 hit, “Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot)”.

ASML, expats, and the Schoof I Cabinet’s anti-immigrant rhetoric

As one of the Netherlands’ highest-valued companies, ASML always makes headlines in the country. This year was no different, with the United States exerting increasing pressure on the Dutch government to restrict the chip machine maker’s exports to China and the accidental early publishing of disappointing third-quarter figures sending the company’s stock price plummeting. But the most media attention the Veldhoven-based tech firm got this year was for its threat to expand outside the Netherlands should the then-still forming anti-immigrant PVV-led Cabinet go through on its threats to limit the number of knowledge immigrants and migrant workers coming to the country.

The threat set the departing Rutte IV Cabinet scrambling to keep ASML and the many other companies that made similar ultimatums, in the Netherlands. Within weeks, the government announced a 2.5 billion euro plan to uplift the Brainport region in Noord-Brabant where ASML is located, and expand the availability of technical education. ASML agreed to stay in the Netherlands, announced big expansion plans, and has since started pushing money into housing construction Noord-Brabant.

Home prices soaring

After a slight dip in 2023, home prices in the Netherlands have been rising again in 2024 and are again breaking records. In November, the prices of owner-occupied homes rose by 11.5 percent compared to a year earlier to a record 467,355 euros, according to Statistics Netherlands. The skyrocketing prices are due to the persistent housing shortage combined with lower mortgage interest rates and higher wages giving buyers more borrowing capacity. De Nederlandsche Bank expects home prices to climb 7.5 percent to an average of 520,000 euros next year. Along with the rising home prices, average mortgage amounts and equity also rose to record highs this year.

Nearly 20,000 homes in the Netherlands were worth over 1 million euros last year. In Amsterdam, around 30 homes sold for over 3 million euros. And a parking spot in the capital was listed for 495,000 euros.

The rental market also had a shake-up this year with the Affordable Rent Act taking effect in July, extending rent regulation to mid-market rentals. Many landlords, especially smaller private landlords, complained that the regulation makes renting properties unprofitable and sold their rental homes into the owner-occupied market, benefitting first-time buyers, but further increasing the scarcity in this part of the rental market. People looking for a mid-range rental are out of luck in the large cities, in particular. In Amsterdam, there were up to 450 candidates per home.

Tenants can also expect significant rent increases next year. Private sector landlords may increase rents by a maximum of 4.1 percent in 2025. In the mid-range rental sector, the maximum increase is 7.7 percent from 1 January 2025, and in the social rental sector, it is 5 percent from 1 July 2025.

Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv riots

Against the backdrop of the atrocities in Gaza, a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam on November 7 devolved into violent riots and unrest in the capital that lasted for several days.

On the night of the match, Israelis were chased and assaulted by small groups of rioters in various places in the city. Anti-Semitic insults can be heard in videos of the incidents, and were used in the chat groups used to organize and promote violence, according to police, prosecutors, and several court rulings. There is also footage of Maccabi supporters instigating violence against Amsterdam locals.

he following days were also filled with unrest, including banned protests on Dam Square on the Sunday and Wednesday, and a riot in Amsterdam Nieuw-West on Plein ‘40-’45 on the Monday. The police have arrested multiple suspects and the trials against the first seven of them have began recently.

Five of them were found guilty, and were handed sentences ranging from a maximum of six months in prison down to a minimum of 100 hours of community service. The sentences were well below prosecutor demands, but the court presiding over the cases said the sentences were still more harsh than in comparable cases. The other two cases were delayed for different procedural reasons.

The riots also sparked major outrage from Israel, which said it wanted to send soldiers to Amsterdam to keep Israelis safe, and the United States, among others. The Dutch government’s response, calling the riots an “integration issue,” among other things, also nearly caused a Cabinet collapse and prompted Prime Minister Dick Schoof to again say out loud that his government is not racist.

Income changes

The Netherlands is getting an extra income tax bracket next year. Currently, the Netherlands works on two income tax brackets. Anyone earning over 75,518 euros per year pays the high rate of 49.5 percent, while anyone earning less pays 36.97 percent. From next year, there will be an additional income tax bracket. The rate in the highest bracket will remain at 49.5 percent, while the one in the lowest bracket will drop to 35.82 percent. In between there will be a middle bracket for people earning between 38,089 and 75,518 euros per year, with an income tax rate of 37.48 percent.

The minimum hourly wage is increasing on 1 January 2025. From then, people over the age of 21 will earn 14.06 euros per hour. Young workers earning the youth minimum wage will get between 4.22 euros per hour for 15-year-olds and 11.25 euros for 20-year-olds.

Welfare benefits and the state pension are linked to the minimum wage and will increase with it. The state pension age will remain 67 years next year.

New Dutch government, tough on immigration

On July 2, King Willem-Alexander swore in the right-wing Schoof I Cabinet, with the coalition consisting of the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB. The government and coalition have proclaimed far and wide that they would be tough on immigration, reducing the number of asylum seekers in particular with the “toughest asylum policy ever,” but also limiting migrant workers, expats, and international students.

So far, the crackdown on immigration has boiled down to extra border controls for six months and a slight cut to the income tax break for some expats, known as the 30 percent ruling. Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber has also unsuccessfully asked the European Union to exempt the Netherlands from its asylum policy, said she was looking into putting signs up at asylum centers warning asylum seekers that they would be sent back, and said she was working on return centers in Uganda, though Uganda claimed not to know about this.

She is working on a package of emergency asylum measures, which includes scrapping indefinite residency permits for refugees, declaring parts of Syria “safe,” scrapping the Asylum Distribution Law, and not allowing family reunification for adult children and unmarried partners, but it is unclear when these will take effect. There has been some very critical advice on the plans, however.

MDMA gnome

In November, the Dongemond police found a nearly 2-kilogram gnome made entirely of MDMA during a drug bust in the area. “We know that drugs come in many shapes and sizes, but every now and again we come across something extraordinary,” the police said about the discovery.

“The gnome himself was visibly shocked by it,” police joked about the gnome, which had wide eyes and its hands over its mouth.

International rail services popular to some, not to others, with more changes to domestic train services

This year saw new international train routes launching, and the Amsterdam-London direct Eurostar train nearly disappearing due to issues with the renovations of Amsterdam Central Station and the operation of the high-speed line. The Eurostar will stay in the Netherlands and the direct train will start running again in February. The Amsterdam-Basel train did disappear.

On the plus side, European Sleeper extended its Brussels-Amsterdam-Berlin night train service to Dresden and Prague. The company is also working on a night train to Barcelona and one that will connect Rotterdam and Utrecht to Venice.

Strikes at ProRail for a higher wage increase severely disrupted train traffic in the Netherlands in November.

And NS launched its new timetable this month, promising 1,600 extra trains running per week. There will be more trains during rush hour, a sprinter every 7.5 minutes dedicated to getting travelers to and from Schiphol Airport, and more international trains.

Fat bikes

Fat bikes gained rapid ground in the Netherlands, leading to major concerns about the often severe injuries caused by accidents with these faster electric bicycles, particularly because they are extremely popular with younger teenagers.

Parliament and various safety organizations have pushed for an age limit and helmet obligation for fat bikes. Minister Barry Madlener of Infrastructure said he would look into it, but warned that it might require him to take these measures for all e-bikes.

Schiphol downsizing

The Schoof I Cabinet decided not to go through with the previous government’s pledge to cut flight movements at Schiphol Airport in order to reduce noise pollution for locals. The government will allow 478,000 flight movements at the Amsterdam airport next year, accepting that the number of residents seriously disturbed by noise pollution won’t be reduced by 20 percent as promised.

Locals have hired lawyer Bénédicte Ficq to sue Schiphol, KLM, and Transavia over the continued noise and resulting disruption to their sleep. They consider “the years of sleep deprivation caused by serious noise pollution” to be an attack on their health and are pressing assault charges.

Dutchman sabotaged Iran’s nuclear program

This year, it became known that a Dutch man played a crucial role in a United States operation to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program. The then 36-year-old Erik van Sabben infiltrated an Iranian nuclear complex and released the infamous Stuxnet virus, paralyzing the country’s nuclear program. The AIVD recruited the man, but Dutch politicians knew nothing about the operation.

Northern lights and weather

Solar storms meant that 2024 was a great year for seeing the Northern Lights in the Netherlands. The Aurora Borealis lit up Dutch skies in October, August, May, and March.

This year was also one of the wettest on record, ranking third-wettest ever as of December 16. The summer was warmer and sunnier than usual, and the Netherlands broke multiple day heat records. Winter started with a big streak of gloomy days giving the Netherlands the longest stretch of gloomy days in 31 years.

Schiphol worker suicide

In May, a Schiphol worker took their own life by jumping into the engine of a KLM Cityhopper Embraer 190 aircraft. It involved KLM flight 1341, set to depart from Schiphol for Billund, Denmark. The passengers and crew members on the flight were safely escorted off the aircraft and were offered support services.

Eritrean riots

On Saturday, February 17, hundreds of opponents of the Eritrean regime attacked a meeting of advocates of the regime. Rioters attacked cops and set fire to the facade of the event center, cars, and a touring car, causing over 700,000 euros in damages.

The suspects argued that they intended to demonstrate peacefully. They wanted a ban on meetings that supported the regime, which caused them to flee their country. The court pointed out that they were not allowed to force this with violence, especially as it turned against the government that had offered them safety, and sentenced ten rioters to between four and 12 months in prison.