Today’s digest covers a better economic outlook from the IMF, women’s experiences with healthcare, slow progress on new forests, and local stories from Amsterdam and the regions around Rotterdam and The Hague.
IMF raises its outlook for the Dutch economy
The International Monetary Fund now expects the Dutch economy to grow 1.5% this year, well above its earlier forecast. It expects growth of 1.3% in 2027. For people working or planning a move here, a stronger forecast points to a steadier economy in the near term.
Source: NL Times
Many women say doctors do not always listen
Two-thirds of women in the Netherlands say healthcare professionals do not always hear them, for example when they describe their symptoms. If you are new to the Dutch healthcare system, which usually starts with your GP, it helps to be clear and persistent about your symptoms and to ask follow-up questions.
Source: DutchNews
Tree planting falls far short of the national target
In 2020 the Ministry of Agriculture set out a forest strategy that called for 37,000 hectares of new forest within ten years. Six years later, a survey by Nieuwsuur found that the provinces, which carry much of the responsibility, have planted only about 4,000 hectares between them. The regional audit office for the eastern Netherlands had already raised concerns about progress in Gelderland and Overijssel.
Source: NOS
Fishing catches on with young Amsterdammers
In Amsterdam, more and more young people are spending their free time fishing. Some of them say they fish every day and plan to carry on through the winter.
Source: Het Parool
Puppy rescued from a bar after owner arrested
Regional broadcaster Rijnmond reports that animal police in the Rotterdam region were called out last weekend after a puppy was found in a café. The owner was there, but was so drunk and aggressive that officers arrested him, and he is suspected of mistreating the dog earlier that day. The puppy was taken in at the police station.
Source: Rijnmond
A donor liver saved a five-year-old boy
Regional broadcaster Omroep West tells the story of Wiebe, who went into acute liver failure at the age of five as a reaction to epilepsy medication. Doctors thought he could survive on his own for only about 48 hours. A day later, the parents of a child who had died abroad agreed to donate their child’s organs, and Wiebe received the liver he needed.
Source: Omroep West
Netherlands Today is a curated digest: we summarise and link, the reporting belongs to the publications named. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.
Sources
- NL Times: IMF hikes growth forecast for Dutch economy: 1.5% growth this year, 1.3% in 2027, accessed 13 October 2026
- DutchNews: Two-thirds of women in NL feel unheard by healthcare workers, accessed 13 October 2026
- NOS: Aanleg nieuwe bossen blijft ver achter bij doelstellingen, accessed 13 October 2026
- Het Parool: ‘We vissen elke dag en gaan de hele winter door’: steeds meer Amsterdamse jongeren vissen in vrije tijd, accessed 13 October 2026
- Rijnmond: Agressieve dronken man opgepakt voor dierenmishandeling: puppy opgevangen op politiebureau, accessed 13 October 2026
- Omroep West: Wiebe heeft als kind nog 48 uur te leven: een donorlever redt hem, accessed 13 October 2026
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