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Source: Government of the Netherlands
On 15 January 2021, Prime Minister Mark Rutte tendered to the King the resignation of all the government ministers and state secretaries. Read the statement by Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the government’s resignation.
Source: Government of the Netherlands
Please note: this news item was published on 3 November. Read more about the current approach to tackling coronavirus in the Netherlands.
Coronavirus is once again spreading rapidly. In recent weeks, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of infections, with figures up to around 9,000 per day. The number of patients with COVID-19 in hospitals and care homes is also rising. That has an impact on healthcare in general; more than one million routine hospital procedures have had to be postponed. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to trace the source of an infection. But one thing is clear: the more people a person comes into contact with, the greater their chance of being infected. In order to ensure normal healthcare services can continue, we must take action and limit our contact with other people as much as possible. This is why the Netherlands will go into its strictest lockdown yet from 15 December until at least Tuesday 19 January.
Lees het nieuwsbericht ‘Lockdown om contacten tot een minimum te beperken’ in het Nederlands.
Venues such as museums, theatres, amusement parks, zoos, casinos, saunas, indoor sporting venues, and establishments serving food and drink (including in hotels) will be closed throughout this period. Shops such as clothing stores, shoe shops, jewellery shops and shops selling craft supplies will also be closed. The government’s aim in this regard is to limit contact between people as much as possible. Supermarkets, bakeries, butchers and other shops where food is sold can remain open, as can establishments such as pharmacies, chemists and petrol stations. People working in non-medical contact-based professions, including hairdressers, nail stylists and tattooists, cannot carry out their work. Only people in medical and paramedical contact-based professions can continue to carry out their work.
Primary and secondary schools, schools for secondary vocation education (MBO) and higher education institutions (universities and HBO) will deliver teaching online in order to reduce in-person contact. They may make exceptions for those sitting exams and interim exams this academic year, as well as for practical training and to support vulnerable pupils and students. Childcare centres will also be closed. Primary schools and childcare centres will remain open for children whose parents work in critical sectors. In order to allow enough time to make preparations, the measures for schools, educational institutions and childcare centres will apply from Wednesday 16 December. They will be in place until Sunday 17 January.
Stay at home as much as possible, including during the festive season. We know that this is an effective way of reducing infection rates. Coming into contact with fewer people reduces the risk of infection and makes it harder for coronavirus to spread.
People should therefore continue to work from home, unless it is absolutely necessary that they go into work. The government is also advising people to receive no more than 2 people aged 13 or over at home per day. There is an exception to this on 24, 25 and 26 December: then, up to 3 people can visit, excluding children under 13. Outside, the maximum group size is 2 people, including during the festive period. Do not travel and do not book any trips until mid-March, unless strictly necessary. Adults can exercise alone or with one other person, and only outside, maintaining a distance of 1.5 metres from each other. Children aged 17 and under may take part in team sports, including matches with teams within their own club, but only outdoors.
The basic rules remain the same. Everyone must stay 1.5 metres apart from people they do not live with. Wash your hands often, including when you arrive somewhere and before eating. And if you have symptoms, no matter how mild, stay at home and get tested. Do not go out and do not receive visitors. If you are infected, ask other people to do your shopping and other errands for you.
It is important that we all follow the rules closely. That way, we’ll be working together to ensure the lockdown is over as quickly as possible. On 12 January the government will assess which measures will still be required after 19 January to combat the spread of the virus.
In the coming weeks we will again have to be resilient, as was the case earlier this year. A lockdown has a major impact on society and the economy. That is why the government has a comprehensive recovery and support package in place for businesses and employees. It is designed to be responsive to changing needs. Higher losses in turnover will trigger extra support.
Now more than ever, it is important that we look out for each other, because these measures will have a far-reaching impact on us all. But surveys show that they have the backing of most people. And just as we did in spring this year, we will try, despite the measures, to look out for the people around us, even if we have to do so remotely or digitally.
From Tuesday 15 December to 19 January inclusive:
From 16 December to at least 17 January inclusive, educational institutions will mainly be providing remote teaching. In secondary education, the following activities may continue on location: practical training, lessons for students with upcoming examinations, and school exams in the year of final examinations or the year before. Examinations, interim examinations and practical training may go ahead in secondary vocational education (MBO), higher professional education (HBO) and university education (WO). In all forms of education, an exception can be made when it comes to supporting vulnerable pupils and students. Childcare and out-of-school care establishments will be closed during this period.
Emergency childcare will be available for children whose parents work in critical sectors. This will be provided at primary schools or at establishments providing childcare or out-of-school care.
There are some exceptions to the measures above:
Source: Government of the Netherlands
The government has announced extra measures to control the spread of coronavirus in 8 more regions. The measures have been coordinated closely with the safety regions involved. They will come into effect at 18.00 on Sunday 27 September 2020.
The extra measures already apply in the 6 safety regions of Amsterdam-Amstelland, Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Haaglanden, Utrecht, Kennemerland and Hollands Midden.
The 8 new regions where the extra measures will also apply are:
These general measures apply to all the 14 regions in question:
Specific measures also apply per region. Check the website of a city or region to find out what the local measures are. For instance, check the city of Amsterdam’s website for information about Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Amsterdam.
Source: Government of the Netherlands
The government has announced specific measures to control the spread of coronavirus. The measures have been coordinated closely with 6 safety regions and are based on urgent recommendations by the Outbreak Management Team. They will come into effect at 18:00 on Sunday 20 September 2020.
The measures apply to the six safety regions that are currently seeing the sharpest increase in coronavirus infections. These are Amsterdam-Amstelland, Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Haaglanden, Utrecht, Kennemerland and Hollands Midden.
3 general measures apply to all 6 regions:
The 6 regions are also adopting specific local measures.
Check the website of a city or region to find out what the local measures are. For instance, check the city of Amsterdam’s website for information about Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Amsterdam.
Source: Government of the Netherlands
His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen and Prime Minister Mark Rutte are participating digitally in the 75th United Nations General Assembly. King Willem-Alexander will address the Assembly with a video message marking the UN’s 75th anniversary. Prime Minister Rutte will give a video address at both the General Debate and the Summit on Biodiversity. Queen Máxima will take part in her capacity as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA). Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of this year’s General Assembly will take place online.
The Kingdom delegation also includes Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes of Aruba, Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath of Curaçao and Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs of St Maarten. Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag and Dutch UN Youth Representative Hajar Yagkoubi are part of the delegation as well.
The King will address the Assembly on Monday 21 September to mark the UN’s 75th anniversary. His speech will highlight the UN’s historical and current importance before looking ahead to the future of the organisation.
Prime Minister Rutte’s speech, which will be broadcast to the Assembly on Friday 25 September, will emphasise the importance of international cooperation and solidarity in an unstable world. On Wednesday 30 September the prime minister will speak at the online Summit on Biodiversity about everything the Kingdom of the Netherlands is doing to protect biodiversity and foster its recovery.
In her capacity as the UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, Queen Máxima will deliver a keynote address at the online event, ‘G7 Partnership for Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion in Africa’, hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Other speakers at the event include French finance minister Bruno le Maire and Melinda Gates (see also press release no. 300, 2019). The online presentation of the UNSGSA’s annual report to Secretary-General António Guterres will take place this year on a separate occasion.
The Caribbean countries of the Kingdom will participate in various side events to be held over the next few weeks, covering themes such as the Sustainable Development Goals, small island developing states (SIDS) and climate adaptation.
On Wednesday 23 September foreign minister Stef Blok is hosting a virtual meeting about Syria and the fight against impunity. The Netherlands has been working for years to help achieve justice for the victims of human rights violations in Syria, including through the establishment of the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria (IIIM), which is gathering and analysing evidence of crimes committed in Syria. The same day, Mr Blok will join Argentina at the annual UN LGBTI Core Group event in calling for a greater focus on equal rights for LGBTI people around the world. He will also speak about the MH17 disaster to the foreign ministers of the countries that are part of the MH17 Joint Investigation Team. Finally, on Friday 25 September, Mr Blok will take part in the online ‘Building Back Better’ event hosted by the Alliance for Multilateralism.
The Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag, is working closely at this year’s General Assembly with YouTube star Nikkie de Jager (‘Nikkie Tutorials’), who recently became an ambassador of the Dutch UN Association (NVVN). Together they will be drawing attention to gender equality, among other issues. On Thursday 24 September, Ms Kaag will host a virtual meeting on mental health and psychosocial support. There she will emphasise that this support helps boost the resilience of both individuals and communities and thus helps prevent conflicts and foster lasting peace. Such support is especially valuable now, with the world in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Government of the Netherlands
Please note: this news item was published on 1 September. Read more about the current approach to tackling coronavirus in the Netherlands.
Today, prime minister Mark Rutte and health minister Hugo de Jonge held a press conference to update the public on the coronavirus pandemic. First, they looked at the current situation, approximately 6 months on from the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Netherlands. They then reviewed the measures to prevent a second wave of infections.
As well as giving a general overview of the situation, the ministers set out a number of specific points in more detail. One of these is the decision to keep nightclubs and similar venues closed for the time being.
In addition, the ban on group singing, chanting and shouting at gatherings such as protests, sporting events and concerts, will remain unchanged.
Children aged 4 to 12 whose families are self-quarantining are, in certain situations, allowed to attend school, sport clubs and out-of-school care. This is, for example, the case for families who have returned from a region for which an orange travel advisory has been issued as a result of COVID-19. Today, it was decided that children aged from 0 to 3 will also be allowed to go to childcare and sport clubs in this situation.
Steps will be taken to ensure care home staff are better prepared to deal with potential outbreaks. This will include them receiving training on how to spot symptoms and implement isolation, as well as extra personal protective equipment. Furthermore, research is being carried out to determine whether residents and staff might undergo preventive testing if infection rates in the immediate vicinity increase. In the event of an outbreak in a care home, all residents and staff will be tested weekly.
Finally, the coronavirus dashboard is continually being expanded and developed. As of 1 September 2020, the dashboard provides figures at municipality level, making it easier to introduce more targeted measures where necessary.
Source: European Banking Authority
The European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – the ESAs) today published their joint response to the European Commission’s Call for Advice on two EC delegated acts under the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) specifying further criteria for critical ICT third-party service providers (CTPPs) and determining oversight fees levied on such providers.
In relation to the criticality criteria, the ESAs propose 11 quantitative and qualitative indicators along with the necessary information to build up and interpret such indicators following a two-step approach. The ESAs also put forward minimum relevance thresholds for quantitative indicators, where possible and applicable, to be used as starting points in the assessment process to designate critical third-party providers. This joint response does not include any details of the designation procedure nor of the related methodology as these are out of the scope of this Call for Advice. However, the ESAs plan to define these details no later than six months after the adoption of the delegated act by the Commission.
Regarding the oversight fees, the ESAs make proposals for determining the amount of the fees to be levied on CTPPs and the way in which they are to be paid. The ESAs’ proposals cover the types of estimated expenditures (for both the ESAs and the competent authorities) that shall be covered by oversight fees as well as the basis for the expenditures’ calculation and the available information for determining the applicable turnover of the CTPPs (the basis of fee calculation) and the method of fee calculation together with other practical issues regarding the collection of fees. In addition, the advice proposes a financial contribution for voluntary opt-in requests. The ESAs will specify other practical aspects on the estimation of oversight expenditures and operational aspects in the context of the implementation of the oversight framework.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on digital operational resilience for the financial sector and amending Regulations (EC) No 1060/2009, (EU) No 648/2012, (EU) No 600/2014, (EU) No 909/2014 and (EU) 2016/1011 form the legal basis for the ESAs’ response.
In December 2022, the Commission issued to the ESAs a Call for Advice (CfA) in relation to two delegated acts under DORA to 1) specify further criteria for critical ICT third-party service providers and 2) determine the fees levied on such providers.
To inform the responses, the ESAs held a public consultation (May-June 2023). In light of the 41 responses received from various stakeholders, the ESAs have amended the draft advice on the criticality criteria to increase the role of critical or important functions in the assessment and further streamlined the proposed set of indicators. Regarding the oversight fees, the ESAs have, among others, adapted their advice by proposing to define the scope of the applicable turnover on a narrower basis. Overall, market participants expressed support to the proposals related to the other aspects of the advice, while requesting clarifications on some other points.
Source: European Banking Authority
The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published its response to the European Commission’s Call for Advice on two EC delegated acts under the Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation (MiCAR) relating to the criteria for determining the significance of asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) and electronic money tokens (EMTs) and to the supervisory fees that may be charged by the EBA to issuers of significant ARTs and significant EMTs.
The EBA proposes a set of core and ancillary indicators for each significance criterion within the scope of the Call for Advice: financial sector interconnectedness, and activities on an international scale. Such indicators cover diverse elements of interconnectedness (e.g. direct and indirect between the issuer and the financial system, direct between the token and the financial system, or direct between the issuer and other ART/EMT issuers) and international scale (e.g. all types of transactions, or transactions where the token is used as means of exchange) and take account of data availabilities.
Regarding the supervisory fees, the EBA proposes criteria for allocating costs between issuers, as defined in MiCAR, and ensures that all costs it will incur in the performance of its supervisory tasks, including the establishment of supervisory colleges and in the context of any delegation of tasks to national competent authorities, can be charged to issuers of significant ARTs and significant EMTs in accordance with the full cost-recovery approach foreseen in MiCAR.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 on Markets in Crypto-assets (MiCAR) establishes a regime for the regulation and supervision of crypto-asset issuance and crypto-asset service provision in the European Union (EU). It came into force on 29 June 2023, and the provisions relating to ARTs and EMTs will be applicable from 30 June 2024.
Among the activities within the scope of MiCAR are the activities of offering to the public or seeking admission to trading of ARTs and EMTs and issuing such tokens. Supervision tasks are conferred on the EBA for ARTs and EMTs that are determined by the EBA to be significant. Additionally, the EBA is mandated to develop 17 technical standards and guidelines under MiCAR to further specify the requirements for ARTs and EMTs, and an additional 3 mandates jointly with ESMA (and, in one case, also with EIOPA).
In December 2022, the European Commission issued to the EBA a Call for Advice in relation to two of its delegated acts under MiCAR, specifically on: (i) certain criteria for the classification of asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) and electronic money tokens (EMTs) as significant (Article 43(11)), and (ii) the supervisory fees to be charged by the EBA to issuers of significant ARTs and EMTs (Article 137(3)). The Call for Advice was received by the EBA on the same date as the joint-ESAs’ Call for Advice on specific delegated acts under DORA, and was issued with the same deadline: 30 September 2023.
The EBA is empowered to issue opinions upon a request from the European Parliament, the Council or the European Commission, or at the Authority’s own initiative on all issues related to its area of competence (Article 16a(1) of the EBA’s Founding Regulation).
To inform the response, the EBA held two public workshops (17 May and 24 July), followed by written procedures enabling workshop participants to provide additional inputs, and has engaged bilaterally with the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB), the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) and the staff of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) . The response has also been informed by discussions in the context of the EBA’s network on crypto-assets and, as regards the fees element, in coordination with the preparatory work to the response to the DORA Call for Advice.
Source: European Banking Authority
28 September 2023
The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – the ESAs) today published their second annual Report on the extent of voluntary disclosure of principal adverse impacts under the Article 18 of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
Similar to the approach adopted for 2022 Report, the ESAs launched a survey of National Competent Authorities to assess the current state of entity-level and product-level voluntary principal adverse impact (PAI) disclosures under the SFDR, and have developed a preliminary, indicative and non-exhaustive overview of good practices and areas that need improvement.
Highlights:
The 2023 Report also includes a set of recommendations for the European Commission to consider ahead of the next comprehensive assessment of the SFDR.
Principal Adverse Impacts (PAI) are the most significant negative impacts of investments on the environment and people. When a financial market participant considers principal adverse impacts, it means that it should seek to reduce the negative impact of the companies they invest in.
Source: European Banking Authority
The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – the ESAs) have today published an indicative overview of information and communication technology (ICT) third-party providers (TTP) as part of their preparations for the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). The analysis aims to map the provision of ICT services by TPPs to financial entities in the European Union and to support the ESAs’ policy making process in light of the European Commission’s call for advice to further specify the criteria for critical ICT TPPs and to determine oversight fees.
The data collection exercise on which the Report is based was the first of its kind, covering ICT-related contractual arrangements for entities across the financial sector. Overall, the exercise has identified around 15,000 ICT TPPs directly serving financial sector entities across the EU. It has found that the most frequently used ICT TPPs support critical or important functions for their clients in a wide range of services. In addition, most critical services were classified as non-substitutable by financial institutions.
The data collection exercise has also revealed some valuable lessons for the implementation of DORA. For instance, it has underlined the importance of ensuring that financial entities provide unique identifiers in the data submitted and the need to develop an appropriate ICT services taxonomy.
The ESAs, with the support of their respective competent authorities, agreed to carry out a data collection exercise on a sample of financial entities as part of their preparations for DORA. The results of the analysis are based on information provided on a best-effort basis by a broad sample of financial entities across the EU financial sector.
