By Jhr. mr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland LL.M., Justice (Judge) in the (Dutch) Court of Appeal and honorary Special Adviser International Affairs, appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of The Hague
From January 1st, 2016, The Netherlands will be presiding the EU during half a year. Although the ‘Scheepvaartmuseum’ in Amsterdam – being the formal capital of this country- will be the location of the meetings of EU ministers, the city of The Hague will play an important role as well of course.
As far as Europe is concerned, The Hague is not only the home town of the embassies of all other 27 EU countries, but that city (with some smaller towns around The Hague) is since many years also hosting many important EU organizations like the European Patent Office (EPO), the European Space Research and Technology Centre (EAS/ESTEC), Eurojust, Europol, the European Cybercrime Centre (ECC), the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the OSCE (HCNM/OSCE) and the bureaus of the representatives in the Netherlands of the European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as a great number of European NGO’s.
In fact The Hague stood as early as 1948 at the cradle of what now is the EU with an European Congress in the ‘Ridderzaal’ (Hall of Knights). In 1956 the government in The Hague was one of the six Founding Fathers of the predecessor of the EU: the European Common Market.
During the Dutch presidency there will be three priorities: we want (1) an innovative EU, (2) an EU that limits itself to essentials and (3) an EU that connects. Key words will be: serve, saving expenses and economization.
Because of the upcoming Dutch presidency, the President of the European Parliament already visited The Hague in December 2015, the European Commission will follow early January 2016.
In a period of huge immigration from Syria and other countries, tensions with Russia and terrorist attacks from organizations like IS /ISIS and the necessity of an European joint approach, the Dutch Parliament will organize during the Dutch presidency interparliamentary conferences in The Hague on European affairs and on the common policy on foreign affairs and defence matters. Also two international conferences on energy and innovation, as well as on human trafficking from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Apart from that, The Hague will organize lots of other European activities during the Dutch presidency.
As you can conclude, The Hague is not only the well known worlds capital of peace and justice, but also since a long time very much an important European city with many permanently based European institutions as well as important temporary activities during the Dutch presidency of the first half of 2016.
