- “Thank you, David, for raising the issue of prevention of animal diseases. I recognise the great value of biosecurity and vaccination as preventive measures. The Netherlands has ample experience with disease [00:13:30] outbreaks like avian influenza and more recently, bluetongue serotype three. This underlines the significance of vaccination as a tool for prevention and control of diseases. We are working to make vaccination against avian influenza and bluetongue serotype three possible. Good cooperation with all public and private stakeholders is very important for effective vaccination strategies. Therefore, I highly appreciate [00:14:00] the good cooperation with the Commission, the Member States and other stakeholders. I also understand the specific the specific issue with with regard to vaccination in the process of granting and and maintaining disease free status. We are always willing to discuss solutions for more active use of vaccination possible. This can be done at technical level. Thank you.”
Animal diseases prevention and management in the EU
- “Um. Thanks, Pierre. Um, dear colleagues, um, important discussion that we have. Um, in our preparation [00:29:30] for the meeting in La Hulpe, um, and in Amour, we already discussed that cohesion in our societies is under oppression, and that many people feel that their voices are not being heard. We therefore need to keep working on a more social Europe and by fostering upward convergence and social cohesion. I want to thank the Imco and SPC Committee, and your opinion reflects on several priorities that are, in my view, most important to deal with. [00:30:00] First, striking the right balance between innovation and protection when it comes to AI. Let's also make digital a just transition. Secondly, modernising the coordination of social security systems. The world of work, world of work is changing fast and clearly has done so in the past eight years since the original proposal. So a reflection period would be wise. Thirdly, we cannot underestimate the importance of promoting a [00:30:30] mindset and a culture of lifelong learning rescaling, upscaling, um, but also primary and secondary education. And fourthly, improving occupational safety and health, both mental health and speeding up the setting of minimum standards regarding hazardous substances. But I like to draw your attention to two topics that are close to my heart for me personally. The first one is fostering fair labour mobility. The [00:31:00] free movement of workers. People bring many benefits to member states, citizens, businesses. But we've also seen that labour migration can bring significant downsides. Unfortunately, marked by abuses and exploitation unworthy of our fundamental values. And I say that as a Dutch minister who is ashamed of the situation, I sometimes see when I look at working and living conditions for labour markets in the Netherlands.
So [00:31:30] we need to step up our debate on the challenges surrounding labour migration. Therefore, we need to address issues concerning the posting of third country individuals in our Member States, including by creating the necessary clarity concerning the legal framework. And we need to strengthen the European Labour Authority to bolster its activities. The second topic close to my heart I want to mention is the integration of people who come to the EU, both [00:32:00] people who flee their home countries, refugees and people who come here to work. In the Netherlands, we see that of the status holders, less than 50% after five years has a job. And many of them temporary jobs and many of them part time, and almost all of them not at their original level. We've learned some lessons from people from the Ukraine coming to the Netherlands, who work more and more often at their own level. But when you look [00:32:30] at integration, it's so important for the people themselves who come to the EU. It's so important for social cohesion, for our societies to make sure that we do integrate all those newcomers and their children. And it's important for businesses who can actually have a look at what qualifications these people have. And I would love to learn from you all what you are doing in your countries to make sure that this enormous challenge that we face, that we cannot close our eyes [00:33:00] to how you make it work. Integration in practice. So in the coming years, our commitment will be crucial to ensure that no one is left behind and that we can promote cohesion in our societies. And I'm looking forward to.”
EU policy on labour exploitation in global supply chains · EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
- “53:54 – 10:54:35): Thank you. We would like to thank the Cypriot presidency for this update on Digital Networks X. We appreciate the efforts made so far on this comprehensive proposal. To foster a competitive European digital ecosystem, it's essential that digital infrastructure and connectivity in the EU remains compatible, high quality, secure, reliable, and affordable for everyone.
To achieve these goals, it's key to ensure and protect effective competition, the principles of the open Internet and tailored spectrum policy to take into account national circumstances. We look forward to working constructively with the upcoming Irish presidency and other presidencies and member states in the next phase of negotiations. Thank you.”
EU policy on accessibility of digital infrastructure
- “Thank you, thank you, chair. And especially thank you, honor, um, for all the work that you did. And you really made this initiative. You brought it to life. Um, and that's very important, uh, for all the workers, uh, in the European Union, um, we have each year 1000 100,000 workers who die [00:08:00] of cancer caused by past exposure to dangerous substances at the workplace, 100,000 each year. That is clearly unacceptable. And therefore and that's what this letter says, we need to step up our game in protecting these workers. And in line with my call. That answer unmentioned during the Ebsco in December 2022, the Netherlands has been a strong proponent for this broad call for more ambition. And as a country, [00:08:30] we adopted our zero death vision for 2040. Um, I also feel this is an important signal in the run up to the hoop. Um, and for the strategic agenda of the European Council, we need to increase the capacity for preparing limit values to speed up the process and facilitate limit values for more dangerous substances that will protect workers across the EU from occupational cancer cases. So we would be very grateful for the Commission [00:09:00] to support, to step up this ambition on behalf of those 100,000 each year and hopefully much less to come in the years to come.”
EU rules on hazardous working conditions
- “Thank you, Maria, for putting the issue of fertilizers on the agenda, and thank you, Christophe, for the overview. The availability and affordability of fertilizers is of great strategic importance as geopolitical tensions have made us very well aware. And European farmers are facing higher fertilizer prices due to this situation. And for some of them, the ability to grow their crops at a viable price is getting harder and harder.
This on top of the also high input prices on energy and sometimes low margins, and I see their concerns. And moreover, the product they are paying the high price for is being produced from fossil sources, and this is all but sustainable from an environmental climate and economic point of view.
And while the 22 communication on the availability of fertilizers provided a good starting point and important steps have been taken since then, further action is needed. And in that light, The Netherlands welcomes the publication last week of the commission's fertilizer action plan with both short term and medium term actions to support the availability and affordability for fertilizer for farmers.
And I am particularly pleased to see the prominent place bio based and circular fertilizers hold in this plan. Not only fits very well in a competitive circular economy, contributes to decarbonization, and it also allows farmers to become part of the business case for domestically produced fertilizers by providing the organic raw materials like Rennier.
I believe bio based and circular fertilizers have an important role to play in increasing the resilience of the EU agricultural sector. This is key for economically sustainable agricultural entrepreneurship. And I look forward to the concrete proposals for expanding the use of projects from Digestit that meets the Rennier quality criteria. And at the moment, The Netherlands has a parliamentary scrutiny reservation. I look forward to future discussions on this subject. Thank you.”
Use of fertilisers
- “26:47 – 11:28:11): Thank you, chair. The Netherlands welcomes the general approach, and we appreciate, in particular, the focus on justice cooperation, access to justice, capacity building, and digitalization. We believe that these elements are important for effective judicial cooperation, mutual trust, and access to justice across the union.
Furthermore, we consider it important that member states remain closely involved in decisions made on how funding is used through a commititology so that the program can remain flexible and is able to respond to new needs and developments. Of course, you also know the Dutch general position on the entire MFF that it should be lower and modernized.
Moreover, The Netherlands underline the importance of maintaining a sufficiently protected and predictable budget for the home funds so that it cannot be used for other EU policies. And finally, I would like to emphasize the need for adequate resources for the JHA agencies under the MFF 20 28 20 34. Given their important supporting role in European cooperation in the area of justice, migration, and security and implement and in implementing our policies. Thank you, chair. Thank”
EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
- “03:52 – 10:04:42): I'm impressed. Thank you very much. It's my 1st time here, so thank you also for welcome as our our newbies here at the telecom council. We support the proposed general approach for the European business wallet.
The European business wallet is important to reduce administrative burdens for companies, especially for SMEs, and it's essential to strengthen innovation, competitiveness, and growth in Europe's digital economy.
And, therefore, I would like to thank the Cypriot, presidency for its swift action and engagement with member states in the process. It is vital that businesses can interact with both public and private partners across the EU through 1 consistent and interoperable mechanism.
We, therefore, support the ambition of the commission and the presidency in this regard, and we welcome that the proposed general approach, ensures robust safeguards for trustworthy European business wallet. Thank you.”
Electronic identity
- “01:31 – 14:03:41): Thank you very much, Oana. And we continue with Tom, Netherlands followed by Estonia and Finland. Thank you. First, on the interlinkages between the MFF and the internal markets. Modernization of the MFF is crucial for the internal markets. A strong role for the country's specific recommendations in the NRPPs will ensure that investments and reforms strengthen our economies.
EU funds should play an important role in mobilizing private investment and a strong internal market needs to be well protected, which requires a strong customs administration And therefore, it's crucial that the retention rate for the collection costs on customs duties remain at 25%.
And since the Cypriot presidency is also finalizing a new negotiating box, Let me also emphasize some key issues for The Netherlands on the MFF. A future oriented MFF focused on our main challenges and a significant reduction in volume of the MFF proposal is absolutely critical.
We need to look at cuts across the board and protect new common strategic EU priorities in the proposal. So leaving cohesion, agriculture and administration untouched when lowering the MFF is not an acceptable way forward.
The continuation of the correction to our G and I contribution and retaining the collection cost percentage at 25% are crucial for us to consider the new NIGO box as a basis for further negotiations.
And it is essential that member states comply with the rule of law principles and fundamental rights in order to receive funds from the EU budget. The Netherlands looks to strengthen these conditionalities even further as outlined in the Swedish nonpaper that we cosign. Thank you. Thank you very much, Tom. And then, it's Markus Estonia followed by Finland and Sweden. Estonia. Estonia? Yes.”
EU Supervision of the Rule of Law · Size of EU budget
- “Thank you, chair. Good morning to all of you. The Netherlands supports the commission's proposal for the regulation to ensure that parenthood established in one EU member state is recognized across the union so that children retain the rights deriving from parenthood when they travel or move within the EU.
For The Netherlands, it is essential that all children fall within the scope of the regulation regardless of the composition of the family they are part of and regardless of the manner in which they were conceived or born.
After three and a half years of negotiations, we should aim for steady progress and a timely conclusion of the negotiations. The Netherlands remains constructive. Unanimity is challenging. If it proves unattainable, enhanced cooperation among a group of member states can be explored. Thank you, chair.”
LGBTIQ+
- “38:16 – 17:39:54): Thanks, thanks President. Thank you for putting this important topic on the agenda. Thanks to all the Member States supporting us on this AOB: mentioned Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Latvia and Luxembourg.
We all strongly believe that more action is needed at EU level to promote fair labor mobility and to foster fair competition. For this reason, we welcome the announcement of the Fair Labor Mobility Package and look forward to its publication.
In particular, we would like to urge the European Commission to strengthen legal clarity regarding the posting of third country nationals. Case law on the posting of third country nationals is interpreted very differently across Member States, as was also stressed by Enrico Letta in his report.
Strengthening legal clarity regarding the posting of third country nationals is necessary to protect third country nationals against abuse and exploitation and to create a level playing field among companies. Clear rules are also needed for effective enforcement, supported by the European Labor Authority.
We believe that the available evidence and data on the posting of third country nationals clearly shows the need for action at the EU level. We feel strengthened in our call for action by the broad support of Member States as expressed in Aalborg during the informal EPSCO in July 2025.
We therefore look forward to an ambitious Fair Mobility Package. Thank you very much. Faristo. Thank you very much. I would like now to give the floor to Roxana Minzattu for any comments.”
EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers
- “Thank you, Chair. For us, the completion of the internal market and the strengthening of competitive stress are crucial for enterprises that operate on international market. And the proposal for EU Inc. Is an important step in helping those 2 things, completion of the internal market and strengthening of competitiveness.
We think it's essential for this '28 regime to be effective and to actually meet the needs of stakeholders, particularly, of course, our European businesses. The 28 regime can only be successful if the EU Inc. Offers reliability and legal certainty to businesses as well as investors.
So we support swift negotiations. We think we have set together ambitious timelines in the council and also in the road map that we agreed recently. So together, we must bring focus to the work of our experts.
1 thing we feel that needs our urgent attention is the strengthening of safeguards in a proposal against fraud, abuse and money laundering.
Finally, I'd like to direct your attention to the joint non paper circulated by Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. The Benelux countries are confident that we together can find the right balance for this proposal. Thank you.”
EU Single Market harmonisation
- “Thank you, Chair. And I guess at this stage of the day, you will have noticed that we want to deepen and improve the functioning of the internal market, and this is one part of that. The European product legislation framework is one of the cornerstones of the single market, enabling free movement of goods and ensuring a high level of consumer protection. A well functioning framework is essential for our competitiveness and the level playing fields. And therefore, we very much welcome the upcoming revision. Together with Finland, France, Poland, Portugal and Sweden, as you already mentioned, we want to highlight three priorities for the revision. Priority number one, the product legislation framework must be future proof, mainly by improving the consistency of product related legislation, which will help lower administrative burdens for businesses. Secondly, we think we must enhance the use of digital tools such as a digital product passport and stimulate cooperation on a European level. And thirdly and finally, the challenges of e commerce must be addressed. We have been discussing those in this council before. With the non paper that we shared, we aim to contribute to a constructive discussion about the future of the product legislation framework, and we are looking forward very much to the commission proposals after the summer. Thank you.”
Product passport
- “Thank you. Masha, the Netherlands have the floor now. Then Poland and then Lithuania. Carola, you have the floor.
**The Netherlands Thank you chair, and I would like to join this choir. We've recently seen large price swings in fertiliser prices, including. Due to the geopolitical situation. We therefore strongly support creating more opportunities. The bioeconomy provides us to make use of digestate and other forms of manure. This would decrease the dependency on chemical fertilizers and strengthen the EU's and farmers resilience. Of course, this would need to happen in an environmentally safe way with regards for the latest scientific insights. For this, the Joint Research Centre's recommendations on renewable are a good starting point. We should also continue to develop this principle and look forward to further commission initiatives and proposals in this regard. Thank you.”
Use of fertilisers
- “45:55 – 11:46:48): Thank you very much. ERTMS is a very important topic for us, especially regarding the compatibility of the system versions. Now the Belgium Belgium and Greece the Belgium and Greece papers both call on the commission to stabilize and consolidate the technical centers for ERTMS, and the Belgium paper also calls on the commission to strengthen cross border coordination. And these are important steps to achieve compatibility and inter interoperability. But it is also very important to achieve lower costs of ERTMS because because the costs of ERTMS have at least doubled in a short period of time. Therefore, I am pleased with the messages of both papers, especially with the Belgium paper, and I would like to cosign the Belgium paper, especially since this paper also calls on the commission to accelerate the derisk and transition to the future railway mobile communication system. Thank you very much.”
EU support of rail transport
- “Dear president, thank you very much. The European Climate Risk Assessment shows the urgency to [00:03:30] act on both adaptation and mitigation. Europe is the fastest warming continent on the planet, and climate risks threaten our energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water supplies, financial stability and our public health. And the cost of inaction to our planet. Economy and society is much larger than the cost of climate action itself. In addition, climate action can bring many advantages, such as energy security and strategic autonomy, improvements to public health, [00:04:00] and economic opportunities for European industry. A 2040 target is necessary to stay on course to reach climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest, and create long tum stability and investment security. The EU should lead by example, ensure our international partners also take ambitious climate action. And the global global stocktake at Cop 28 showed that we are not on track to limit global warming to one and a half degrees. And as you all know, the Netherlands has a caretaker [00:04:30] government. But we discussed this target in Parliament last week and the Netherlands has a positive view towards a 90% reduction in 2040, as recommended by the Commission. It's a logical and ambitious step towards climate neutrality, with the current EU policies already reaching 88% emission reduction in 2040. It is also in line with scientific recommendations on what is needed to keep 1.5 degrees within reach, and it firmly starts the transition away from fossil fuels [00:05:00] and strengthening the union's global leadership on climate action.
[00:05:04] And it's up to the new commission to present the legislative proposals to ensure we can really achieve these targets together. And we therefore call on the Commission to present a strong enabling policy framework that facilitates and speed up the transition and removes existing bottlenecks. We need to improve grid infrastructure, speed up licensing procedures, cut red tape, prevent energy poverty, and [00:05:30] stimulate investments in clean technologies and infrastructure. First, an important enabling condition is the full implementation of the Fit for 55 framework. National efforts have to be stepped up as shown in the Commission's analysis. Second, all sectors and all Member States should contribute to the target in a balanced and cost effective way. Third, we welcome that the Commission is holding a dialogue with the agricultural sector on the future climate policy framework, and we ask the Commission to keep working on innovative [00:06:00] policy options for this sector, including market based options for a well-designed mechanism for carbon removals is essential to ensure the needed scale up of removals does not come at the expense of emission reduction itself. And we welcome the indicative split of the target between emission reductions and carbon removals.
Fifth, we agree that the energy sector should be the first to fully decarbonise based on increasing efficiency and renewable energy, complemented by nuclear energy. [00:06:30] Sixth, we need a firm policy agenda for a competitive and sustainable industry. We can capitalise on our first mover advantage, but we need to address the bottlenecks to access financing, ensure investment predictability and create a global level playing field which may require measures to complement ETS and Cbam. Lastly, we also welcome the Commission's approach to decarbonising the transport sector, and here I would like to emphasise the need for priority access to sustainable alternative [00:07:00] fuels in hard to abate sectors and the need for investments. And on a final note, Mr. President, we welcome further efforts to integrate climate adaptation across all policy areas. At the EU level, solutions need to be tailored to local needs, and we should take a water and soil driven approach which accounts for local circumstances, circumstances and all of this should be reflected in the strategic agenda to send the right message to the next Commission and President. [00:07:30] Sorry for taking a bit longer of the time, but today is also my birthday and it's always great to celebrate it with all the colleagues in the environmental.”
Climate efforts
- “Thank you very much, chairman. I will be speaking the language of Hugo Klaas. For the Netherlands. The three main priorities are as follows. Migration. Agriculture. Land planning and the future. Multiannual financial framework. And we also attach importance to defence security. Ukraine. In order to, you know, we need to boost our competitive competitiveness and carry out internal reforms. Now, when it comes to migration, the EU is going to adopt, going to have to adopt new measures to combat illegal and irregular migration in order to meet the wishes of our citizens. I mean, the Netherlands is a small country and we are also an important logistic node, a logistic hub. And uh, a lot of European countries recognize our importance. We have an innovative agricultural sector. We have we're quite densely populated, and we often get the impression that we're a bit squeezed in the Netherlands because of certain rules and regulations. Um, our, uh, room for manoeuvre, if you like, is limited. So new rules and regulations will need to provide the necessary flexibility so that we can make the necessary choices. We'd like to make three proposals. First of all. When it comes to legislation on land planning, um, nature and land planning. There we need to have exceptions for major projects of public interest. Secondly, national authorities or subnational authorities need to be able to make choices when it comes to land planning based on the principle of subsidiarity. And thirdly, territorial impact assessments need to be carried out in order to take into account the interests of our regions. Furthermore, on agriculture, we hope that in the work programme, a priority will be given to offer our young farmers a proper future. I'd like to say a few words on the MFF. You know what our position is on this, so this is nothing new for you. We're not in favour of the idea of a common debt through European instruments. New European instruments. There is no room for substantial increases in the next MFF, and this MFF has to respect and reflect the priorities of the European Union. Thank you.”
Asylum & border control
- “Thank you, chair. The Netherlands welcomes the general approach, and we appreciate, in particular, the focus on justice cooperation, access to justice, capacity building, and digitalization. We believe that these elements are important for effective judicial cooperation, mutual trust, and access to justice across the union.
Furthermore, we consider it important that member states remain closely involved in decisions made on how funding is used through a commititology so that the program can remain flexible and is able to respond to new needs and developments. Of course, you also know the Dutch general position on the entire MFF that it should be lower and modernized.
Moreover, The Netherlands underline the importance of maintaining a sufficiently protected and predictable budget for the home funds so that it cannot be used for other EU policies. And finally, I would like to emphasize the need for adequate resources for the JHA agencies under the MFF 20 28 20 34. Given their important supporting role in European cooperation in the area of justice, migration, and security and implement and in implementing our policies. Thank you, chair.”
EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
- “Thank you, madam chair. Transparency about the origin of food products and their ingredients is increasingly considered important to inform consumers properly. However, we think we should avoid national measures for certain products hindering the free movement of goods in the internal market.
Therefore, we advocate for strengthening the harmonization of origin labeling rules by amending the general food law. In our opinion, expanding the number of products subject to obligatory country of origin labeling should be preceded by an impact assessment demonstrating that the possible additional administrative burden and cost do not outweigh consumers' demand. Thank you.”
Food labelling harmonisation at EU level
- “55:57 – 11:58:30): Thank you, Chair. And I'd like to begin with actually thanking you for your efforts over the past months by moving the EU news conference and DG meeting use online at short notice, you have shown that meaningful use participation can still be ensured under challenging conditions, and you set a great example. Your presidency has demonstrated that young people are not only the future viewer, but that they're actually already actively shaping its present. And that's why youth friendly policies are not optional, but essential.
Youth participation must therefore be at the heart of our policymaking. And with that, I'd like to share how we approach this in The Netherlands. We increasingly involve young people from the very beginning of the policy cycle rather than only being consulted at one time during the process. For example, they have contributed to setting priorities, in the agenda to reform used care and currently are part of a working group preparing related legislation.
We work closely with the Dutch National Youth Council, for example, on our national youth strategy, and the current draft of that strategy is a tangible result of our mutual efforts addressing issues that matter to young people, including housing, mental health, education, employment, financial security, climate, and, of course, the online world.
At the same time, I must say challenges remain. Coherent cross sectoral use policy is complex and so is measuring policy impact on young people. We are therefore strengthening cooperation between ministries and all levels of government while also investing in better monitoring tools based on data, including children's rights and use participation.
Embedding participation structurally requires time and long term commitment. Based on these experiences, I'd like to make two recommendations for the next EU youth strategy. First, involve young people in all phases of the policy cycle, ensure that participation is not a one-off event, but a regular part of policy development. Make sure that the participation instrument is available and accessible also for young people with disabilities.
And secondly and finally, be transparent about what happens with young people's input. And I think France, my Austrian colleague, just now also made that point so that youth can see which proposals have been adopted, modified, or rejected and why. An accessible and inclusive approach builds trust and makes participation more meaningful. Thank you very much. Thank you. You. We continue with Michaella from Romania followed by Sweden and Greece.”
EU volunteering programs
- “28:13 – 10:29:41): Thank you, president Xi, for presenting this progress report. We appreciate your ever efforts very much in facilitating fruitful discussions these past months on this important file. And I would like to express our support for this legislative proposal and its underlying goals.
It's important to maintain the level of ambition from this proposal and binding targets for member states. At the same time, we should naturally minimize any negative impacts that the proposal might have on SMEs. The discussion so far have shown that there's a clear shared understanding of the important role that corporate fleets play in the uptake of 0 emission vehicles in the EU.
And I agree that the clean corporate vehicles proposal should not be a stand alone initiative. It should be part of a broader framework of EU and national measures that support the uptake of 0 emission vehicles. Now the clean corporate vehicles proposal is a key part in that framework framework, and it does 3 important things. It helps the road transport sector to decarbonize and hence also make it less dependent of energy outside of the EU. It improves the competitiveness of the automotive sector, and it unlocks the benefits of electrification for more citizens and businesses, especially at this moment in time.
Now we look very we look forward to collaborating with the Irish presidency and member states on this file. And we hope to move through any existing concerns and towards an ambitious council position. Thank you very much.”
Corporate fleet electrification: binding zero-emission quotas vs. voluntary approach
- “The Netherlands welcomes the European Commission's proposal to modernise and simplify the multiannual budget, and we support the focus on priorities such as competitiveness, innovation, asylum and migration, and security and defence. However, we remain deeply concerned about the impact on our national budget and also we can't accept the proposed debt instruments. The imbalanced impact of this proposal on national budgets should be addressed through a fair correction mechanism, and that needs to be included in the box. And then three cross-cutting points. First, on flexibility, we support a more flexible MFF to enable us to better respond to global events. But if we want a more flexible European budget, it's important that member states have sufficient say about how the flexible resources are used. And also flexibility can go too far. We're not in favor of an unlimited transfer of resources through the so-called margin instrument. And when it comes to the proposed increases in the flexibility instrument, using income from fines and unused resources, for example, we don't think that's necessary. And furthermore, we don't want special instruments to be used to cover administrative expenditure. And then when it comes to performance based budgeting, we are in favor of that. But we need to avoid it being becoming too complicated. We don't want unnecessary administrative burdens for authorities, citizens and businesses. And thirdly, I'd like Luxembourg and others, we welcome the proposed strengthening of the rule of law conditions. This is crucial also in order to protect the financial interests of the Union and the Swedish Non-paper on this topic contains a lot of good ideas. Finally, just a couple of words on pillar two. Competitiveness. The Netherlands believes that excellence and impact should be guiding principles, and this should be reflected in the second pillar of the budget excellence and impact. Ensure that we can maximise the competitiveness of the EU as a whole and the competitiveness of all Member States. Thank you, thank you.”
Size of EU budget
- “Thank you very much. And so you had you as a neighbor and a friend. I'd like to wish you all the very best for your presidency, and we will give you all our support. You've got major tasks [00:15:00] ahead. There's the European Parliament elections coming along. But as has already been said, there are 150 files still outstanding that need to be brought to conclusion. And that really is a very large amount of work that you have ahead of you. But you can count on us. Those aren't the smallest files either. The economic governance review and migration parts of the migration pact as well. But as I [00:15:30] said, you can count on us. Now, there's one file which I'd like to draw your attention to as part of those 150. And that is the European health data space. This is very important to the Netherlands, namely, um, uh, medical confidentiality. The Netherlands is concerned about patient data being passed on and transmitted without the consent, without the consent of the patient. So we'll be looking very, very closely at the results of that trilogue. Thank you.”
Processing of health data
- “Thank you, Chair. Just to quickly support you and the commission and joining the plea, especially on Article 16, existing modalities of convocation have not proven effective enough. And therefore we would really like to explore with you to find agreement on Article 16 on unexplained wealth. And I think only by adopting these innovative models of confiscation can we truly disrupt criminal organizations. So we very much call on all others in the room to be ambitious regarding this article. Thank you very much.”
Anti-money laundering regulation
- “Thank you very much. I would like to to thank the Belgian presidency for putting the pallet proposal on the agenda today. Every day, the equivalent of up to 20 trucks full of pallets are lost to the environment in Europe alone. Bearing this fact in mind. I would like to underline the importance of coming to an agreement soon, and let's be ambitious and prevent any unnecessary exemptions and exemptions. I will now turn to the specific questions of the presidency. First [00:13:00] of all, on the question whether the proposed measures are adequate given the objective of this proposal, the Netherlands can support measures to prevent plastic pallet losses. Pallets are an important source of microplastics pollution and binding measures to reduce pallets loss are urgently needed. However, to achieve 30% reduction of microplastics pollution by 2030, the Commission must take measures to reduce all main sources of microplastic pollution, most notably [00:13:30] car tyres, agricultural plastics, textiles, paints and plastic litter. The Netherlands therefore strongly urges the Commission to present a comprehensive proposal to tackle all main sources of microplastics. On the second question, I would like to ask the Commission to introduce clear criteria for what counts as appropriate measures to prevent and reduce pellet spills. This clarification is needed to ensure monitoring and compliance by all actors. [00:14:00] And lastly, on the third question, I can support the proposal by our Spanish colleagues to include maritime transport in the pallet proposal. Thank you very much.”
Microplastics
- “Thank you chair. Dear colleagues, please allow me to express my gratitude to the Danish Presidency for tabling a general approach on this very important proposal. The Netherlands welcomes the proposed amendments to the European Globalisation Fund A regulation which allows for earlier intervention by supporting employees before job losses occur. This can enable employees to find new jobs more swiftly and easily. We thank the presidency for addressing our concerns, specifically regarding the limiting of financial risks and additional administrative burdens for member states. While the Netherlands would have welcomed further improvements on these elements, we will support the agreement in the spirit of compromise. Thank you.”
European Globalisation Adjustment Fund
- “In this respect, I would also like to touch upon the ongoing negotiations on the declaration. We support the aim of this proposal. However, the impact of the declaration to lower administrative burdens will depend on the number of member states that will decide to make use of this tool. Therefore, we advocate for expanding the scope of the declaration to self-employed persons working in high risk sectors, allowing member States that wish to use this tool for this purpose to do so. In addition, member States should be able to receive all information necessary via the E declaration to carry out targeted and effective controls at the workplace. Taking about these issues ensures the E declaration becomes an attractive tool for as many member states as possible. Lastly, to this end, we believe it is essential to strengthen the mandate of the European Labour Authority to enhance effective and more uniform enforcement at EU level. Effective enforcement and implementable rules go hand in hand to ensure worker protection, a level playing field and fair competition. These are important conditions to boost EU competitiveness. Thank you.”
EU competences on social policies
- “Thank you, Chair. Last year, the last year has shown that our integrated EU electricity markets work well in ensuring security of supply and reducing price volatility, even in exceptional circumstances. However, it also became clear that there is a need to strengthen the position of consumers, and we also need to further optimize EU electricity markets to make sure that we decarbonize our electricity system at the lowest societal cost. Any changes we make to the EU market design should help member States achieve these goals, should be targeted and should decrease the need for further interventions in case of new external shocks. The proposal by the Commission does this very well in some regards, and let me begin with highlighting the positive aspects of the proposal. In general, we support the focus on improving long term markets. The attention for flexibility and the move towards better informed consumers and better hedged suppliers. We appreciate the proposals on offshore energy as a first step towards an offshore market design, and we support the decision to keep short term markets as they are and move market integration even closer to real time elements that give us some concerns. Are the mandatory nature and financial implications of two sided contracts for difference? From our perspective, volunteering is better. Although a valuable instrument, disallowing other forms of public support can make it more difficult for Member States to achieve the energy transition at the lowest societal costs. And furthermore, to use the revenues for households and companies might be too prospective to leave any room for flexibility on a national level. And we see a need for clear criteria. When there is a case of investments in rewiring or lifetime extension that makes application of a two sided contract for difference proportional. And finally, we are critical of the proposal for a price crisis mechanism. We feel that intervention in price setting and below cost price regulation in general can lead to distortions in a level playing field and disincentive disincentives to invest in energy savings. Thank you very much.”
EU approach to electricity market and prices
- “38:16 – 17:39:54): Thanks, thanks President. Thank you for putting this important topic on the agenda. Thanks to all the Member States supporting us on this AOB: mentioned Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Latvia and Luxembourg.
We all strongly believe that more action is needed at EU level to promote fair labor mobility and to foster fair competition. For this reason, we welcome the announcement of the Fair Labor Mobility Package and look forward to its publication.
In particular, we would like to urge the European Commission to strengthen legal clarity regarding the posting of third country nationals. Case law on the posting of third country nationals is interpreted very differently across Member States, as was also stressed by Enrico Letta in his report.
Strengthening legal clarity regarding the posting of third country nationals is necessary to protect third country nationals against abuse and exploitation and to create a level playing field among companies. Clear rules are also needed for effective enforcement, supported by the European Labor Authority.
We believe that the available evidence and data on the posting of third country nationals clearly shows the need for action at the EU level. We feel strengthened in our call for action by the broad support of Member States as expressed in Aalborg during the informal EPSCO in July 2025.
We therefore look forward to an ambitious Fair Mobility Package. Thank you very much. Faristo. Thank you very much. I would like now to give the floor to Roxana Minzattu for any comments.”
EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers
- “Thank you. I would like to thank the Commission for addressing this topic. I can support the Commission in its claim that it is important to have a solid system of fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated [00:05:30] fisheries. I believe the catch system can help us to harmoniously harmonize the catch certification certification procedures within the EU and allow for a better detection of fraud with catch certificates. Therefore, we have already been involved in the development of the system and are looking forward to the cooperation in the coming months. Thank you.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- “And I would like to start by thanking the Commissioner for the presentation of the communications in which he lays down his vision for the future of the fisheries policies and how to bring fisheries policy more in line with environmental policy in the Netherlands. Of course, all of us. We are still analyzing these proposals, but as a first reaction, [00:27:30] I can say that the proposals touch upon some important political priorities for the Netherlands. Firstly, for us, the future of the Common Fisheries Policy should be shaped along the three pillars of the common fishery policies being environment, environment, social dimension and the economic perspective. And we support the ambitions of the European Green Deal and the objectives of the European Biodiversity Strategy. And we are also acknowledged that more efforts are needed [00:28:00] to deliver on these objectives. But having said that, the Netherlands values also equally the social economic dimension of the common fisheries policies. And we have to take into account that the sector is already under great pressure from geopolitical changes and spatial limitations. The sector needs to count on our support to help them through the transition in order for them to keep supplying the European market with sustainable and healthy food products. And in that regard, [00:28:30] the Netherlands thinks that a revision of the Common Fisheries Policy is needed, focusing on the tools and means to implement the necessary transition, provide economic perspective for the fishers and their communities, and to make sure a level playing field is secured. In this package, there is a strong focus on bottom trawling and the economic perspective is needed for fisheries to engage in innovation, make the much [00:29:00] needed investments and to keep the sector attractive for a new generation of fishers. And in that sense, science based policy and innovation is crucial for us. That is an absolute centre corner and we think that conservation measures in protected areas should be taken based on scientific advice and related to the protection objectives. So we share the ambitions on innovation, focusing on selectivity, reducing bottom impact and improving the energy [00:29:30] efficiency. And in that regard, I would like to reiterate the positive impacts of the pulse gear on all these aspects. This has been confirmed by the ICES while the negative impact was considered negligible and I call on the Commission to use the foreseen platform to analyse and stimulate possible technical innovations. This will be the only way to move ahead in the sector as we foresee and with regard to the energy transition. The Netherlands shares the ambition and [00:30:00] the approach suggested by the Commission.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- “Dear chair. The Netherlands wishes you every success, and we very much look forward to working together for an autonomous EU that is open to the world. We welcome the focus on autonomy through defense and preparedness. And we obviously need to ensure that support for Ukraine be at the heart of our agenda. And it's a good thing as well that you focus on priority, on on competitiveness and also merit based enlargement and migration as well, that all of these are part of your focus. Thank you.”
EU competences on defence
- “Thank you, Chair. And thank you, Commissioner Sinkovic.] For the presentation of the revised initiative.] We would like to commend the Commission. For the excellent work undertaken. We are pleased that this initiative, together with the Nature Restoration Law, forms a new deal on pollinators. 75% of our food crops are pollinated and it is indeed vital to reverse the decline of pollinators. [00:32:00] We have some remarks regarding the proposed monitoring method and we will bring them in in future discussions. However, you can count on our support. We look forward to further discussion of the future of pollinators and agriculture, and we think this initiative forms a good basis to continue the discussions. Thank you.”
Nature protection and restoration in the EU
- “Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you David. I will reflect on the questions [00:12:00] which were asked. First, with regard to the choice of instruments, the Netherlands welcomes the initiative by the Commission to improve the payment discipline of public authorities and companies, in line with the fit for future platform opinion adopted in 2021. We think it's important to better protect companies, and in particular, the small and medium sized enterprises, against this problem of late payments, and we appreciate that this regulation creates [00:12:30] a level playing field regarding maximum payment terms across the EU, thereby providing certainty for entrepreneurs that are active in different member states. In our view, a regulation is an appropriate legal instrument to ensure a level playing field. However, if maximum harmonisation could also be guaranteed through a directive, we would also be open to exploring that opinion further with regard to the binding 30 [00:13:00] calendar day payment periods. The following regarding the binding 30 calendar day payment periods. We agree with the Commission that a 30 day calendar payment period should be should become a norm for all commercial transactions. However, in terms of a binding payment period, we agree for more freedom of contract in the in the Netherlands.
[00:13:22] A binding 30 day payment applies in two types of transactions, from government payments to business, and from [00:13:30] large businesses to SMEs, for the following reasons. First, public authorities need to set the right example. Second, between large companies and SMEs, there is often an imbalance of power. And to address these unequal power dynamics, we introduced a national law in July 2022, imposing a binding payment terme of 30 days for large companies to SMEs, and [00:14:00] the implementation has gone well and we are happy to share the first results when they are available. All in all, we propose to limit the scope to two types government to business and big to small. At last comment we do not prefer to introduce exceptions for certain sectors, as it will be hard to organise enforcement accordingly. I see that I am over my time limit so I will speed up. Enforcement authorities to combat late payments is important to ensure that the rules are enforced, but we have reservations with [00:14:30] regards to the obligation to appoint enforcement authority and with regard to the time, I will. We will hold all the arguments, but I will provide them later. Thank you very much.”
EU rules on late commercial payments
- “Thank you, Chair, and thank you for putting this on the agenda and giving us an opportunity to discuss it in the Acquisition Council as this proposal, as everyone is aware, [00:29:00] has far reaching, potentially far reaching consequences for the agriculture and fisheries sector. We support the intentions of the proposal. The decline of biodiversity is evident and together we need to turn this trend. In this light, we also would like to welcome the New Deal on pollinators. However, we have some concerns on the how of the nature restoration proposal. We have limited space in the Netherlands. Therefore we need to make trade offs on the use of land. And to do so, [00:29:30] we need a regulation that offers sufficient flexibility to take national circumstances into account with regards to the three questions of the presidency. The first question we believe that the provisions on non deterioration and the definition of rewetting peatlands are the most important agricultural aspects of the regulation on the non deterioration and its exemption clauses in Article four and five. We need a more clarified, effort based approach that [00:30:00] is measured on a national level instead of a case by case basis. And given the EU case law on the Habitats Directive, it is important to realise that without this clarification, the current compromise text will still be interpreted as a result obligation. And in the Netherlands we fear a paralysing standstill for different challenges and activities such as agriculture and fisheries, but also, for example, housing projects and the green [00:30:30] energy transition. And finally, with regard to the marine aspects, we expect that the objective to restore soft sediment ecosystems up to 90% in 2050 will have far reaching consequences for our fisheries sector, as well as our ambitions for wind parks at sea. So we do have concerns here. With regards to the second question. The Netherlands believes that grassland butterflies, stock of organic carbon, high diversity, landscape features and [00:31:00] presence of typical farmland species are the most relevant indicators. With regard to the third question. We believe that the allowed level of rewetting is crucial in balancing the needs for climate, food production and flexibility. One third of the Netherlands is below sea level, so draining the land is necessary to keep dry feet. Therefore, we need sufficient flexibility to allow finding the optimum level of rewetting. Also [00:31:30] in terms of preventing methane emissions. Thank you.”
Nature protection and restoration in the EU
- “Thank you. Uh, Pierre, if, um, Commissioner, first, I would like to thank the Belgian presidency, the Spanish presidency, the Swedish presidency, the Czech presidency. Um, it shows how long we've already been on this file. More than two years. Um, and this is a piece of legislation that establishes a level [00:43:30] playing field for businesses, gives clarity and protection to precarious workers. And therefore, I think it's a very important piece of legislation. We've been under discussions for many intense weeks and months and years, and I'm very happy to say you already knew that, that the Netherlands will support the provisional agreement. But also, if I hear other member states being in favour of it, I think we are looking at an important day for Europe. [00:44:00]”
Platform workers
- “Thank you chair. And thank you also to the EVP for the good spirit of cooperation during the trilogue negotiations. Unfortunately, the Netherlands was not able to support the agreement and we abstained. And I want to explain why a new talent pool can contribute to alleviating our labour market shortages in member states. But the improper posting of third country nationals in the EU member states should be prevented as much as possible, also in the specific context of the talent pool. Practices such as these play third country nationals in a vulnerable position. It leads to a higher risk of labour exploitation, creating unfair competition between companies. A race to the bottom on labour conditions and circumvention of national migration policies. Both participating and non-participating member states stand to lose out if third country nationals are able to be posted to other non-participating member States. We therefore believe additional EU action is required to promote genuine posting of third country nationals and advocate for clarification of the legal framework surrounding the posting of third country nationals. Legal clarity, for example, via a legally binding solution, is a precondition for effective enforcement of the posting rules. Effective enforcement subsequently ensures an equal level playing field for companies and fair treatment of third country nationals. Lastly, the challenges related to third country nationals must be firmly embedded within the mandate of the European Labour Authority. Thank you.”
EU policy on labour exploitation in global supply chains
- “Thank you chair. And also thank you to Austria for putting this point on the agenda. And we of course understand the concerns with regards to the public health and the future of livestock farmers. But also at the same time we are talking about how do we secure the global food security. And the world population, as we all know, is growing fast and so is the demand for animal proteins. [00:18:30] Therefore, we believe that it is important to support innovations that create production methods for animal proteins complementary to, and not as a substitute to conventional sustainable production. So more research is needed to ensure the safety and the lower energy use. And therefore in the Netherlands, we invest in this research. And so I would plead to let's also look at the opportunities of this development and not only see the threats. Thank you very much.”
EU policy on lab-grown meat
- “Thank you. Thank you very much to the Vice President for his introduction. We welcome the aim of the package. For us, it's of great importance to find the right balance between combating unwanted foreign interference and safeguarding civic space. This is not an easy balance to [00:18:30] find, but very relevant for democratic societies. We also deem democratic processes as a competence of the member States and as a very delicate matter. On your first question, we support efforts to enhance transparency of interest representation on behalf of third countries. We see added value in EU cooperation because of the cross-border effects of foreign interference, the shared impact [00:19:00] on EU member states and the internal market. For us, it's important to find the right balance between combating unwanted foreign interference and the continuation of the work of social organisations. However, solutions proposed must be effective solutions. We have many questions which need to be cleared up, and we need more assurances that this proposal will contribute to decreasing foreign interference. [00:19:30] On the second question, the impact for us would be significantly large as we do not have a national lobby register. Like others, we question the effectiveness of a lobby register when it comes to combating foreign interference in the context of proportionality and subsidiarity. Other instruments may be less drastic and more effective, for example, the publication of agendas of government officials and lobby paragraphs [00:20:00] in legislative processes. Finally, on the third question regarding citizen participation, the Commission could more structurally share its lessons with member states on citizens engagement. For example, through the, the, uh, the, uh, implementation of the panels. And we would be interested in exchanging knowledge on that issue. The integration of these initiatives [00:20:30] in the political process is crucial for understanding their contribution to robust governance. Thank you.”
Transparency requirements for interest groups
- “Thank you, Marcus, and thank you for putting this very compelling issue on the agenda. Generally speaking, the Netherlands regards marine biodiversity and healthy, clean, productive oceans as an essential element of our ocean governance. Well-managed seas with guarantees of ecological thriving, for example through MPAs, are important for life on Earth and also for the future of sustainable fisheries, and especially this dual focus that the Commission is taking on the one hand, protecting nature and restoring the environment and, on the other hand, sustainable blue economy. This twin pronged approach is one that the Netherlands can heartily endorse. I think it's also important for maritime threats, for the security of our shipping, that we should give a role to that in our ocean planning. Regarding the first question that the has been raised on clean and healthy seas, I want to emphasize the following. We call on maritime stakeholders to lower the pressures of their activities and to align them with the healthy sea objectives. This should be a key to the Marine Strategy Directive. It's important that we support these stakeholders in their transitions, and that we give them a real opportunity and support to innovate. The same is true of fishers and the revised CFP, as well as the transition of the circular economy. Here. We must fight for a new UN treaty on plastic. On the second question, the focus should be made on concrete measures. These should be decisive in changing the directive, setting environmental targets for the sea, and also at the same time deciding on concrete measures that will provide more clarity for sea stakeholders. Thank you.”
Nature protection and restoration in the EU
- “Thank you chair. And big thanks to France for putting this on our agenda. And I would like to join the choir of support for a European response to ultra fast fashion. We also hear the concerns that ultra fast fashion products are often imported from outside the EU, and they fail to meet European product standards, including requirements for quality, safety and environmental performance. Because of their low quality and low and short lifespans, these products pose a risk to the potential of scaling the reuse and recycling of textiles, and are piling up as waste in other parts of the world. We would therefore welcome a coordinated European approach to tackle ultra fast fashion practices, with a focus on strong and effective enforcement of existing and upcoming product requirements and the European definition of ultra fast fashion. We also believe it's of important to swiftly implement the prohibition on the destruction of unsold consumer goods, and we call on the Commission to prioritise timely implementation of the relevant delegated acts and implementing acts under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products legislation.”
Energy (green transition)
- “However, it is also important to have another good look. If the Common Fisheries Policy actually provides all the tools necessary to shape this transition. Our third priority is a workable landing obligation. Addressing the practical implementation problems of the landing obligation is an important political priority for the Netherlands, and the Netherlands appreciates that the implementation issues are now recognised by the Commission. But on the [00:30:30] other hand, we regret that an evaluation of the landing obligation is postponed to 2025, while the pressure on improved implementation and control is further increased. The Netherlands would like to continue this discussion in the coming weeks and also look at solutions without backtracking, of course, on the objectives. Last point shareholder or stakeholder cooperation? We value that strong strongly the involvement of all stakeholders when shaping the future [00:31:00] of the fisheries policies. And in this regard I would like to mention that at a national level, the Netherlands has a regular North Sea meeting with all governments and stakeholders that have an interest in the North Sea. And I would like to reiterate again that in order to keep the fisheries sector engaged in this process, more attention is needed for the socio economic perspective of the sector and support to help fishers through this transition. Thank you very much.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- “Thank you. The Netherlands welcomes the initiative to a strategic dialogue on the future of the agriculture in the EU. In the Netherlands we have a permanent dialogue with farmer unions, nature organisations, [00:40:00] food and agri businesses and provinces on the transition toward a sustainable agriculture. The focus is on three three major challenges achieving the environmental goals, giving sufficient prospects to farmers and to regaining confidence between the government and the agricultural sector. I hope our discussion today will feed into the dialogue. As for the necessary conditions, I [00:40:30] believe that a same kind of dialogue on EU level is essential to strengthen the position of the farmers, create a level playing fields and achieve the environmental and climate goals, especially now that the farmers protests are an EU wide issue. Equally important, we have to provide a future prospect for our young farmers. They are motivated to continue the transition towards sustainability. [00:41:00] Therefore, a room for entrepreneurship, craftsmanship and inventiveness of the farmer is needed. This could be done by steering on goals to be achieved as less and less on prescribing how the farmers should achieve these goals. It is also important that farmers receive a reasonable compensation for sustainability efforts throughout the chain, be it from targeted payments for public [00:41:30] goods through the Cap, or private funding from partners in the supply chain. This not only requires a level playing field on EU's internal markets, but also externally. Therefore, trade agreements with third countries should support achieving a sustainable food system. Coming to the teams we should discuss. We should focus on how to secure to secure food security in Europe. Not only on the [00:42:00] short terme, but also on the medium and Long Terme, by increasing the overall resilience of the farming sector. This in light of current and future geopolitical tensions and climate change. Furthermore, diversity of agricultural practices from intensive and high tech to nature inclusive and organic farming should be supported. For this, a fact based discussion is [00:42:30] needed about the possibilities of technological solutions, including new crop breeding techniques and the utilisation and processing of animal may manure such as renewer. Also, the focus should be more on plant based proteins, as these offer opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen European food security, and promote a more sustainable and healthy food supply. Last [00:43:00] but not least, future policy initiatives should take into account national specifications. This is already the case for areas facing natural constraints like mountainous areas. However, countries like the Netherlands face constraints due to high population density and competition for available land. I am not asking for exceptions, but for more flexibility to meet our shared [00:43:30] goals. This should be acknowledged. I sincerely hope that we will come to a shared vision on a sustainable EU agricultural sector and balance with nature and the livability of the Earth, with a good earnings for our farmers. Furthermore, I hope we can come to a concrete actions and measures on the level playing field in the EU. Thank you.”
Agriculture (green)
- “Thank you, Chair, and thank you to Latvia for their non-paper. We recognize and appreciate that there should be sufficient options to tackle disease and pests that threaten plant health in the EU. We think that the solution should be sought in increasing the availability of alternatives to chemical plant protection products and therefore we would like to propose a joint action plan by the Commission and Member States to increase the availability of non chemical alternatives. In general, we expect less plant protection products on the market anyway because this is due to the stricter requirements for the assessment of substances in the light of the safety for humans, animals and the environment which we all want to safeguard. So this trend will be there regardless of the reduction targets in the sustainable use regulation. And I think we should all work together in a concerted way. Thank you.”
Reduction targets for pesticides
- “David. The Netherlands has recently sent its position regarding this proposal to the Parliament. I am looking forward to constructive discussions on this proposal. I would like to emphasize the support of the Netherlands for the harmonization of data collection [00:42:30] and reporting on forests. Reliable, timely and comparable data will provide Member States and the Union with the tools to act on the multifunctional values of, values of, and threats to the European forests like droughts, pests and climate change. Furthermore, it will facilitate cross-border cooperation. The monitor system has the potential to effectively and efficiently [00:43:00] provide data on multiple functions of forests. The approach of combining ground based data and remote sensing technologies is not only useful from A is not only useful from a cost effective perspective. It is also a step forward in integrating existing metals with new technologies, aiming to mutual exchange strengths and mitigate weaknesses while acknowledging [00:43:30] the benefits of the integrated approach. I would also like to stress the importance of aligning this proposal with existing reporting frameworks within the EU and towards the Food and Agricultural Organization and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Furthermore, clarification is required on the harmonization of natural forest inventories for ground based data and the Copernicus Infrastructure for Remote Sensing data, both from a technical [00:44:00] and institutional point of view. In the process of development of developing this monitoring framework in more detail, it is crucial to prevent the emergence of parallel systems. The aim should be an integrated approach. Furthermore, I warmly welcome the Belgian proposal for an ad hoc working party as it provides an elegant compromise elegant compromise allowing all functions of forests to be [00:44:30] fully represented in the negotiations. It is important that no concerns, such as those made clear in the Environmental Council, are preemptively include excluded from the negotiations. Thank you.”
Management of EU forests
- “And I would like to start by thanking the Commissioner for the presentation of the communications in which he lays down his vision for the future of the fisheries policies and how to bring fisheries policy more in line with environmental policy in the Netherlands. Of course, all of us. We are still analyzing these proposals, but as a first reaction, [00:27:30] I can say that the proposals touch upon some important political priorities for the Netherlands. Firstly, for us, the future of the Common Fisheries Policy should be shaped along the three pillars of the common fishery policies being environment, environment, social dimension and the economic perspective. And we support the ambitions of the European Green Deal and the objectives of the European Biodiversity Strategy. And we are also acknowledged that more efforts are needed [00:28:00] to deliver on these objectives. But having said that, the Netherlands values also equally the social economic dimension of the common fisheries policies. And we have to take into account that the sector is already under great pressure from geopolitical changes and spatial limitations. The sector needs to count on our support to help them through the transition in order for them to keep supplying the European market with sustainable and healthy food products. And in that regard, [00:28:30] the Netherlands thinks that a revision of the Common Fisheries Policy is needed, focusing on the tools and means to implement the necessary transition, provide economic perspective for the fishers and their communities, and to make sure a level playing field is secured. In this package, there is a strong focus on bottom trawling and the economic perspective is needed for fisheries to engage in innovation, make the much [00:29:00] needed investments and to keep the sector attractive for a new generation of fishers. And in that sense, science based policy and innovation is crucial for us. That is an absolute centre corner and we think that conservation measures in protected areas should be taken based on scientific advice and related to the protection objectives. So we share the ambitions on innovation, focusing on selectivity, reducing bottom impact and improving the energy [00:29:30] efficiency. And in that regard, I would like to reiterate the positive impacts of the pulse gear on all these aspects. This has been confirmed by the ICES while the negative impact was considered negligible and I call on the Commission to use the foreseen platform to analyse and stimulate possible technical innovations. This will be the only way to move ahead in the sector as we foresee and with regard to the energy transition. The Netherlands shares the ambition and [00:30:00] the approach suggested by the Commission.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- “However, it is also important to have another good look. If the Common Fisheries Policy actually provides all the tools necessary to shape this transition. Our third priority is a workable landing obligation. Addressing the practical implementation problems of the landing obligation is an important political priority for the Netherlands, and the Netherlands appreciates that the implementation issues are now recognised by the Commission. But on the [00:30:30] other hand, we regret that an evaluation of the landing obligation is postponed to 2025, while the pressure on improved implementation and control is further increased. The Netherlands would like to continue this discussion in the coming weeks and also look at solutions without backtracking, of course, on the objectives. Last point shareholder or stakeholder cooperation? We value that strong strongly the involvement of all stakeholders when shaping the future [00:31:00] of the fisheries policies. And in this regard I would like to mention that at a national level, the Netherlands has a regular North Sea meeting with all governments and stakeholders that have an interest in the North Sea. And I would like to reiterate again that in order to keep the fisheries sector engaged in this process, more attention is needed for the socio economic perspective of the sector and support to help fishers through this transition. Thank you very much.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- “You, um, for organising this debate. Tackling tackling racism and discrimination in our societies. And I think it starts with acknowledging that there is racism and discrimination in our societies. I think that's the first step to take. And we all know that discrimination and racism hinder full participation in our [00:18:00] societies, in our labour market, in finding a house, an internship. It hinders social cohesion and it also hinders a peaceful coexistence with each other. The Netherlands is firmly committed to combating and preventing racism and discrimination at all levels of society, in line with article one of our Constitution, which we will uphold. Let me give you some examples of our actions. As a follow up to the EU Action Plan, we have established [00:18:30] a National Coordinator against Discrimination and Racism to formulate a comprehensive approach against racism and discrimination. We have also established a State Commission against Discrimination and Racism, which will inform the government about the state of discrimination in the Netherlands. But policies and indicators are just part of the solution. Even more crucial is a firm and turf change in our mindset. We [00:19:00] need to get to equitable opportunities, which is really different from equal opportunities. And creating equitable opportunities requires inclusive leadership and a change of mindset. We all very much like to recruit a promote, get a nice project for somebody who looks like us but is a little bit younger. As long as we keep doing that recruiting, promoting, hiring. A [00:19:30] junior version of ourselves. We will not get to diverse teams, and we know diverse teams perform better, and we know that the diverse society is a more cohesive society. And looking at the challenges ahead of us, we need more inclusive societies, so we need a leadership that is willing to not recruit, promote. Retain the people who look like yourself but are just a little bit younger. Let's [00:20:00] be inclusive.”
EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
- “Thank you. The Netherlands does not have any populations of large carnivores other than wolves, who regularly attack Dutch livestock as well. I would like to express my empathy to all farmers who have lost livestock as a result of an attack by [00:17:00] a large carnivore in the Netherlands. We are currently conducting a broad dialogue in society about the position of the wolf. Therefore, we followed the discussion with high interest. Thank you.”
Large Carnivores
- “Thank you very much. And the Netherlands welcomes the proposal for the revision of the Waste Framework Directive. And thanks the Belgian presidency for [00:11:00] putting it on the agenda today. The proposed revision will enable Member States to better address the challenges around food and textile waste. At the same time, in reaction to your questions, the Netherlands sees room for further improvement concerning food waste. The Netherlands has two main concerns. First of all, the food waste reduction goals need to be more in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. This means higher reduction targets than proposed by the Commission and the whole food supply chain in [00:11:30] 2030. Secondly, we advocate for legally binding reduction targets for the whole food supply chain, including the primary sector. The reason is that we are concerned that exclusion of the primary sector risks a shift in food waste in the supply chain towards the primary sector. Therefore, we are advocates for including the primary sector in the scope of the legally binding targets. This will prevent downstream supply chain actors from shifting food waste to the primary [00:12:00] food producing actors. As for textile waste, the Netherlands agrees with the commission that introducing an extended producer responsibility for textiles will reduce the societal impact of textile waste. However, the Netherlands believes that the proposal could be strengthened along three lines. First of all, we need binding targets for textile waste prevention, reuse of textiles and recycling waste to ensure a significant reduction of waste. Additionally, [00:12:30] the Netherlands stresses the importance of a level playing field by including all textile producers, also micro-enterprises, and by developing calculation and eco modulation methods at a European level. Lastly, we emphasise the need for better regulation, improved transparency and mandatory sorting criteria for the export of textile waste and used textiles. This will prevent a negative impact on people and the environment [00:13:00] in destination countries. Thank you very much.”
Re-use of packaging
- “Yes. Thank you. Hilda. I would like to thank my colleague for putting this point on today's agenda, considering the impact of these measures on EU fisheries. Of course, a good protection of nature is important. Measures should always be based on science and social. Economic consequences should be taken into account. I support the call for a legal assessment to see if the unilateral measures taken by the UK are in line with the TCA. Thank you.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- “Thank you, presidency, for putting this important topic on the agenda. Preserving the EU social model and enhancing competitiveness of the EU are mutually reinforcing objectives which we must pursue simultaneously. Consequently, we must ensure that the EU social value, the EU social acquis, Shallaki continues to safeguard workers protection, while also avoiding and reducing unjustified burdening of companies that could weaken their competitiveness in order to realize these principles. Each new EU instrument must be accompanied by an impact assessment that considers the perspectives of all relevant stakeholders, including businesses, workers and national authorities. In addition, during negotiations on EU proposals, all EU institutions should consistently take into account the feasibility of these proposals in practice, and they should deliberate on how to strike the right balance between minimising administrative burdens and safeguarding worker rights. Just as an illustration, I would like to point out the implementation challenges related to the Pay Transparency Directive and the Asbestos Directive. We fully support the goals of these directives, and at the same time, these examples show how important it is to continuously monitor, together with the relevant stakeholders, the impact of proposals that are under negotiation.”
EU competences on social policies
- “Thank you, dear presidency and dear colleagues. On the topic of priorities, I fully agree that we need to identify and select strategic priorities in order to effectively enhance competitiveness and tackle societal challenges. We need to do this in a close cooperation between member States, the European Commission and the relevant stakeholders. The four policy windows of the European Competitiveness Fund give a good first impression on the priorities we need to tackle. As Mr. Draghi convincingly showed us, we are lagging behind in strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum quantum and robotics. We need to catch up with our competitors as soon as possible. The more difficult part is to make strategic choices that are durable and thus future oriented. This starts with stimulating talent and blue sky fundamental research, which allows us to identify promising new areas. Early stage. Further priority setting also demands a bottom up process, connecting experts from various backgrounds and scientific disciplines to make sure innovative ideas are prioritised. In the Netherlands, we facilitated a similar decision making process to develop the National Technology Strategy, which sets our national technological technological priorities This model of selection might give inspiration to further define our common European priorities. Looking at the criteria we should use for selection, we need to continue to focus funding on excellent impact as well as scientific rigour. This remains absolutely necessary to compete and cooperate effectively on a global level, and to strengthen European scientific and technological leadership.”
Research priorities within the EU