International tradition and orientation Dutch foreign policy aims to guarantee Dutch interests and is informed by the wish to promote peace, freedom, prosperity and the international rule of law. Development cooperation is an important part of foreign policy. The Netherlands pursues its foreign policy largely within the framework of multilateral organisations, such as the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). It takes part regularly in the peace operations of these organisations. The Netherlands also seeks to maintain good bilateral relations with its neighbouring countries: France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Scandinavian countries, the Benelux partners Belgium and Luxembourg, and the other EU and NATO member states. In addition, the Netherlands has strong ties with the USA and is helping the countries of Central and Eastern Europe make the transition to democracy and the market economy. Global interests The Netherlands was a founding member of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations, the West European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Communities (now the European Union). As a relatively small country with a globally-oriented economy, the Netherlands attaches great importance to a well-structured world order. This has been the case for several centuries. The Dutchman Hugo de Groot, also known as Grotius, laid the foundations of modern international law in his 17th-century treatises Mare liberum ("Freedom of the seas") and De Jure Belli ac Pacis ("On the law of war and peace"). And in the modern world, many problems, such as those of the environment, can be solved increasingly only on a global scale. But self-interest is not the only reason why the Netherlands is so active in promoting the international legal order and developing international law. It is also eager to promote values such as democracy and human rights, to which Dutch society attaches great importance. The Netherlands hosted the world's first peace conferences, held in The Hague in 1899 and 1907. It is also home to many international organisations, including the UN International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International Criminal Court. In addition, the Netherlands seeks to strengthen the role of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in preventing conflict, keeping peace and protecting human rights. In 2003, the Netherlands was chair of the OSCE. An important OSCE official, the High Commissioner on National Minorities, is based in The Hague. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation The Netherlands is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the military alliance that comprises the USA, Canada and many European countries. NATO, the cornerstone of Dutch security policy, has been working for peace, security and stability since 1949. Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has adapted to the changes in international relations by concluding cooperative agreements with several Central and East European countries. After Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland joined in 1999, it was decided in 2002 to enlarge the organisation with a further seven countries in Central Europe. In the new security situation, NATO has taken on new tasks, especially in peacekeeping. In the Balkans, it has carried out important peace operations, and its closer cooperation with Russia led in 2002 to the establishment of the NATO-Russia Council. In addition, since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, NATO has focused more urgently on the war against terrorism. The Netherlands and the EU The first step in building the European Union came in 1952, with the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), later the European Economic Community (EEC). The name European Union (EU) has been used since the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993. As a founding member of the ECSC, the Netherlands has played an important part in promoting EU integration and in pioneering closer European ties. As a small country, it has much to gain from a strong European legal order. An organisation such as the EU, driven by common, rather than national interests, offers smaller countries protection. The Dutch economy, strongly geared to exports, has benefited hugely from EU membership. Dutch agricultural and manufacturing goods now reach their European customers much more easily. Three-quarters of Dutch exports go to other EU member states. The Netherlands is the EU's second biggest agricultural exporter after France. EU enlargement for prosperity and security EU cooperation needs to become more visible to EU citizens, for instance in terms of more freedom and security. The Netherlands regards the EU as a framework for stability, democracy and sustainable prosperity. It will continue to contribute to European cooperation. It regards European integration as essential to prosperity and as an instrument for promoting a stable environment. On 1 May 2004, the European Union welcomed ten new member states. This historical event put an end to the division of Europe, which dominated European relations in the Cold War. But although enlargement is historically important, the Netherlands believes that it must not weaken the EU. Pioneering role The accession of ten new member states in 2004 and the possible later accession of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey make the need for reforming the EU institutions more urgent. In the European Convention on the Future of Europe, the Netherlands campaigned for the administrative reform of the European Union. In June 2003, the Convention presented a draft EU constitution to make the Union more democratic and transparent and to deepen and strengthen the European institutions. Deepening them will mean breaking new ground in European cooperation, and strengthening them will make them more decisive. New neighbours Another Dutch priority is to strengthen EU external policy. In the next few years, the enlarged EU will seek closer relations with the countries on its periphery: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova, the Balkan countries and the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. The Netherlands will also strive to create a more prominent place on the European agenda for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the European Security and Defence Policy. The EU has already achieved a great deal: it has introduced the euro and absorbed its impact; it is coordinating social and economic policy; it is becoming economically more competitive; it is forging a common asylum and immigration policy; it is reforming its institutions; and it is continuing to develop the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Development cooperation Development cooperation is an important part of Dutch foreign policy, with its own minister, based at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister for Development Cooperation is charged with formulating and carrying out development policy, which receives most of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' budget. Spending on development cooperation is fixed at 0.8% of gross national product and in 2003 amounted to €3.8 billion. This makes the Netherlands a major donor of aid. The Netherlands contributes more than most OECD countries to various areas of development cooperation. In 2004, the Netherlands shared first place with Denmark in the Centre for Global Development’s league table of rich countries’ policies towards the world’s poor. The CGD’s Commitment to Development Index measures the commitment of rich countries to development cooperation. Poverty reduction The main goal of Dutch development policy is sustainable poverty reduction. The objective is to improve the prospects of the 1.2 billion people who live below the one-US-dollar-a-day poverty line. The guidelines for implementing development policy are the Millennium Goals drawn up by the UN in 2000. These goals include halving extreme poverty and educating all children to primary level by 2015. The Dutch government attaches importance to the cohesion between its policy and that of the European Union and other international organisations such as the World Bank, not only in the areas of commerce and agriculture, but also in such areas as the environment, arms, immigration, and food safety and security. Partner countries Since 2003, the Netherlands has been giving structural assistance to 36 “partner countries”, most of them in Africa. In addition, it is working with around 31 countries to develop the business sector. The Dutch development budget is spent via four main channels: -international organisations such as the UN and the World Bank; -structural cooperation with the governments of developing countries; -cooperation with voluntary organisations -cooperation with the business sector. |