The Economic and Social Affairs section is responsible for monitoring developments in the Netherlands on a wide variety of issues. The Economic section regularly reports on issues including economic performance and competitiveness, employment legislation, but also climate change, energy, agriculture and transport. The section’s objective is to ensure that the British Government as well as the interlocutors in The Netherlands are aware of existing UK and Dutch policies, current views, and future initiatives. To do so, the section maintains direct contact with policy makers, academics and civil society from both countries.

Although there are some marked differences in both countries’ social and economic policies, there are also striking similarities. Both the similarities as well as the differences make exchanging views and experiences worthwhile. The Economic section is continuously looking for practises and initiatives that could potentially be implemented in the UK. In doing this, the section’s expertise and knowledge of Dutch developments and policies is helpful in pointing at the specific context of why and how certain policies work in the Netherlands. Over the last years, the Economic section has looked into details of how the Dutch Government has tried to tackle underachievement amongst school pupils, how recent changes in social security arrangements have been implemented and what instruments have been applied to tackle administrative burdens. 

In a world in which countries are more interlocked than ever before, it is of vital importance to build and maintain close links with other countries. The UK regards the Netherlands as an important partner when dealing with a whole range of international issues that are facing both countries from a European, as well as a global perspective. The Economic section is involved in for instance discussions on how to effectively improve competitiveness, how to tackle climate change and how to battle the recently emerged economic crisis.  It also assists UK politicians and policy makers when visiting the Netherlands.

The Economic section is closely involved in organising the principal Anglo-Dutch Conference Series, the Apeldoorn Conference Series.  The Conference was instigated in 1999 by the then Prime Ministers Wim Kok and Tony Blair with the intention of creating a high-profile meeting to discuss issues of mutual interest to the UK and the Netherlands. Since then, the Apeldoorn Conference has grown in strength and reputation and in 2002 the British and Dutch Foreign Ministers, Jack Straw and Jozias van Aartsen, decided to build on this success by establishing a Young Apeldoorn Conference. The Ambition is to bring together young people whose views and decisions will affect Anglo-Dutch and European cultural, political and economic relations over the next decade.  The Apeldoorn Conference Series will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2009. For more information about the Conference, please visit the website www.apeldoornconference.org.