FOREIGN
RELATIONS
The Netherlands
abandoned a long-standing policy of neutrality after World War
II. The Dutch are engaged participants in international affairs.
Dutch foreign policy is geared to promoting a wide variety of
goals: the rule of law, human rights, and democracy. Priority
is given to enhancing European integration, ensuring European
security and stability (mainly through the mechanism of NATO and
by emphasizing the important role the United States plays in the
security of Europe), and participating in conflict management
and peacekeeping missions.
The Netherlands
generally pursues its foreign policy interests within the framework
of multilateral organizations. The Netherlands is an active and
responsible participant in the United Nations as well as other
multilateral organizations such as NATO, the EU, the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of
Europe (CoE), the OECD, the WTO, and the International Monetary
Fund. A centuries-old tradition of legal scholarship has made
the Netherlands the home of the International Court of Justice;
the Yugoslavia and Rwanda War Crimes Tribunals; the European judicial
and police organizations Eurojust and Europol; the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; and International Criminal
Court. Dutch security policy is based primarily on membership
in NATO, which the Netherlands joined as a charter member in 1949.
The Dutch have traditionally been strong advocates of European integration, and most aspects of their foreign, economic, and trade policies are coordinated through the European Union. However, Dutch voters rejected the EU constitutional treaty in June 2005. Along with other EU members, the Netherlands is debating the future role of the EU.
The Netherlands' post-war Customs Union with Belgium and Luxembourg (the Benelux group) paved the way for the formation of the European Community (precursor to the EU). Likewise, the Benelux abolition of internal border controls was a model for the wider Schengen accord, which today has 15 European signatories, including the Netherlands, pledged to common visa policies and free movement of people and goods across common borders.
The Dutch were key proponents of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty and were the architects of the 1998 Treaty of Amsterdam. They have embraced the introduction of new member states and the common currency (euro). In recent years, however, the Dutch have become increasingly skeptical of the way the EU is run and of any further enlargements.
Foreign
Aid
The Netherlands is among the world's leading aid donors, giving about 0.7% of its gross domestic product to development assistance and an additional 0.1% to environmental problems in developing countries, totaling about $6.3 billion in 2007. This ratio of aid to GDP is maintained as a firm policy target. The Dutch rank as the sixth-largest donor nation in dollar terms and the fifth most generous relative to GDP. Roughly half of Dutch aid is earmarked for Africa. The country consistently contributes large amounts of aid through multilateral channels, especially the UN Development Program, the international financial institutions, and EU programs. A portion of Dutch aid funds also are channeled through private ("cofinancing") organizations that have almost total autonomy in choice of projects. Minister for Development Cooperation Bert Koenders oversees the aid portfolio.
Dutch development strategy is anchored in the Millennium Development Goals. In October 2007, the Netherlands published its new policy, shifting priorities towards women's rights, fragile and conflict areas, climate change and economic growth. The new policy will reduce the number of "partner countries" receiving Dutch aid from 36 to 29.
The Dutch are the top donor of unearmarked assistance to UN humanitarian programs. For Afghanistan, the Netherlands spent $60 million on reconstruction in 2007, of which $35 million went to the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), $14 million to Law and Order Trust Fund (LOFTA) to pay Afghan National Police salaries, and $3 million to the legal sector. For Iraq, the Dutch have pledged $36 million in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance since March of 2003. In January 2006, the Netherlands signed a bilateral agreement with the Government of Iraq, canceling over $300 million in Iraqi debt, as part of Paris Club efforts to provide debt relief to Iraq.
Despite their commitment to official development assistance, the Dutch also champion the role of trade and private enterprise for their contributions to development. In recent years, the government has devised new programs to support private sector development in developing countries.
In November 2007, the Center for Global Development, in conjunction with Foreign Policy magazine and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, ranked the Netherlands number one in its 2007 Commitment to Development Index.
International
Drug-Trafficking Control
The Dutch work closely with the United States and other countries on international programs against drug trafficking and organized crime. In July 2005, the two nations signed an agreement to expand information sharing and cooperative research on demand reduction. There is close Dutch-U.S. cooperation on joint counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean. The Netherlands actively participates in the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC). The 10-year Forward Operation Locations agreement between the U.S. and the Kingdom for the establishment of forward operating locations on Aruba and Curacao became effective in October 2001. The Netherlands is a signatory to international counternarcotics agreements, a member of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the 1990 Strasbourg Convention on Money Laundering and Confiscation, and is a major contributor to international counternarcotics projects.
U.S.
RELATIONS
The U.S. partnership with the Netherlands is one of its oldest continuous relationships and dates back to the American Revolution. The excellent bilateral relations are based on close historical and cultural ties as well as a common dedication to individual freedom and human rights. The Netherlands shares with the United States a liberal economic outlook and is firmly committed to free trade. The United States attaches great value to its strong economic and commercial ties with the Dutch. The Netherlands is the fourth-largest direct foreign investor in the United States, and the United States is the third-largest direct foreign investor in the Netherlands.
The United States and the Netherlands often have similar positions on issues and work together both bilaterally and multilaterally in such institutions as the United Nations and NATO. The Dutch have worked with the United States at the WTO, in the OECD, as well as within the EU to advance the shared U.S. goal of a more open, market-led global economy. The Dutch, like the United States, supported the accession of 10 new members to the EU in 2004, and accession negotiations for Turkey in 2005.
The United States and the Netherlands joined NATO as charter members in 1949. The Dutch fought alongside the United States in the Korean War and the first Gulf War and have been active in global peacekeeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The Netherlands played a leading role in the 1999 Kosovo air campaign. They currently are contributing to EU peacekeeping forces in Bosnia. In the initial phase of the recent Iraq conflict, the Dutch deployed Patriot missiles to protect NATO ally Turkey, and sent a battalion of troops to Iraq to participate in stabilization operations. The Dutch also support and participate in NATO and EU training efforts in Iraq. They are active participants in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--James B. Culbertson
Deputy Chief of Mission--Michael Gallagher
Political Counselor--Andrew J. Schofer
Economic and Integration Counselor--Karen Enstrom
Global Affairs Officer--Susan P. Garro
Legal Counselor--Heather Schildge
Public Affairs Counselor--James K. Foster
Management Counselor--Sarah A. Solberg
The U.S. Embassy is located at Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ The Hague; tel: 31-70-310-2209; fax: 31-70-361-4688. The Consulate General is at Museumplein 19, 1071 DJ Amsterdam; tel: 31-20-575-5309; fax: 31-20-575-5310.
