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Netherlands - Foreign Relations

The Dutch derive much of their international credibility and influence from their well-earned reputation for competence, fairness, and responsibility. The Netherlands abandoned a longstanding 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 the EU, and by emphasizing the important role the United States plays in the security of Europe), and participating in conflict management and peacekeeping missions. In August 2010, the Netherlands withdrew its ground forces after more than 8 years in Afghanistan. It returned to Afghanistan in July 2011 with a police training mission in an EU and NATO context.

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 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). A centuries-old tradition of legal scholarship has made the Netherlands the home of the International Court of Justice; the Permanent Court of Arbitration; the Yugoslavia War Crimes Tribunal; the Special Tribunal for Lebanon; the European judicial and police organizations Eurojust and Europol; and the International Criminal Court. Dutch security policy is based primarily on membership in NATO, which the Netherlands joined as a charter member in 1949.

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 25 European signatories, including the Netherlands, pledged to common visa policies and free movement of people and goods across common borders. 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. Parliament later approved the Lisbon Treaty in September 2008.

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, its perceived inclination of taking on more tasks, and further enlargements.

The Netherlands has traditionally been one of the world's most generous aid donors. Although the government reduced spending on Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.8% (approximately USD 6.3 billion in 2010) to a fixed 0.7% of GDP by 2012, the Netherlands still is the fifth largest aid donor in relative terms and the eight largest in absolute terms. For budgetary and ideological reasons, the aid policy was significantly restructured in 2011. The number of countries to which the Netherlands provides direct bilateral assistance was reduced from 33 to 15 countries. The remaining beneficiary countries include a number of fragile states and low-income countries that have insufficient resources to make investments needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Dutch aid was also restructured to focus on four spearheads: security and the rule of law; food security; water; and HIV/AIDS and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Those areas were selected in the belief that the Netherlands with its specific expertise can make a difference in the areas.

The Netherlands used to spend about 26 percent of its aid budget (on average USD 1.8 billion a year in the period 2006-2009) through multilateral channels, such as the World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP, FAO, ILO, WHO. However, it now believes these donations are too fragmented and it seeks to restructure them on the basis of the organizations’ effectiveness and the added value of the Dutch priorities.

The Dutch work closely with the United States and other countries on international programs against drug trafficking and organized crime. There is close Dutch-U.S. cooperation on joint counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean. The Netherlands actively participates in the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) and is a full member of DEA’s International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC). The U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Netherlands Navy actively work together in the drug transit zone in the Caribbean Sea through a bilateral Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) Arrangement. 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, and the 1990 Strasbourg Convention on Money Laundering and Confiscation, and is a major contributor to international counternarcotics projects.