European Commission adopts ‘Partnership Agreement’ with The Netherlands on using EU Structural and Investment Funds for growth and jobs in 2014-2020

The European Commission has adopted a “Partnership Agreement” with The Netherlands setting down the strategy for the optimal use of European Structural and Investment Funds throughout the country. Today’s agreement paves the way for investing €1.4 billion in total Cohesion Policy funding over 2014-2020 (current prices, including European Territorial Cooperation funding and the allocation for the Youth Employment Initiative). The Netherlands also receives €607 million for rural development and €102 million for fisheries and the maritime sector. The EU investments will help tackle unemployment and boost competitiveness and economic growth through support to innovation, training and education in cities, town and rural areas. They will also promote entrepreneurship, fight social exclusion and help to develop an environmentally friendly and a resource-efficient economy. The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) are: •   The European Regional Development Fund

• The European Social Fund
• The Cohesion Fund

•   The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund •   The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development Commenting on the adoption, Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn said: “Today we have adopted a vital, strategic investment plan that sets The Netherlands on the path to jobs and growth for the next 10 years. This Partnership Agreement reflects the European Commission and The Netherlands’ joint determination to make the most efficient use of EU funding –Our investments must be strategic, according to the new Cohesion Policy- focusing on the real economy, on sustainable growth and investing in people. But quality not speed is the paramount aim and in the coming months we are fully dedicated to negotiating the best possible outcome for investments from the European Structural and Investment Funds in 2014-2020. Commitment is needed on all  sides to ensure good quality programmes are put in place.” On The Netherlands, Commissioner Hahn added: “This investment strategy builds on the important contribution The Netherlands is already making to help the EU meet its goals of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The Netherlands now has a firm base in this Partnership Agreement that covers all Structural and Investment Funds and gives strategic direction to future programmes that will serve as a lever for further developing the innovative potential of Dutch SME’s and help pave the way for a shift to a low-carbon economy, hence contributing to The Netherlands’ overall competitiveness. The ESI Funds are helping Dutch regions and cities to face these challenges.” Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, László Andor said: “I wish to congratulate the Netherlands with the adoption of its Partnership Agreement. To further boost its employment rate, the Netherlands needs to tap into its unused labour potential. This means helping the most vulnerable groups such as the disabled and migrants, as well as young people and women, to integrate into the labour market. Therefore, I am particularly pleased that, after constructive negotiations, the Dutch authorities have decided to devote 71 % of the European Social Fund in 2014-2020, in other words €361 million out of a total of € 507 million, to this objective. Retraining, work-to-work pathways and individual coaching will be the most prominent tools. €101 million, or 20 % of the ESF, will support enterprises and employees with the aim of creating a working environment that enables older workers to stay active for longer.” Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Cioloş said: “The newly adopted Dutch Partnership Agreement represents a real step forward, as it successfully addresses rural areas’ specific needs and indicates how to achieve the objectives set. I am delighted to see that improving sustainability, strengthening competitiveness and enhancing innovation are at the core of The Netherland’s strategy for the development of the agricultural sector and rural areas. I welcome the fact that Dutch authorities have put emphasis on simplification and the development of innovation also targeted on energy, climate, environment and sustainability when preparing their 2014-2020 rural development programme. This will ensure that necessary means are concentrated on priorities and should make the implementation of the programme more effective.” Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki said: “The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund is about investing in the economic activities that will create jobs in local communities. The Commission very much welcomes that the Netherlands chose to focus on innovation: the country is one of Europe’s leaders when it comes to innovation in ocean energy, deep sea mining, blue biotech and coastal protection. The Netherlands are also promoting innovative fishing techniques to make fishing more environmentally friendly. These sectors can unlock the sort of growth and jobs which Europe needs. And “Brussels” will not prescribe how every single cent should be spent:  those who know their craft, industry, and regions best should decide where and how the funding should be spent for a sustainable future.” All Member States have now presented their Partnership Agreements to the Commission. The adoption of these agreements will follow after a process of consultation. More information: MEMO on Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes: Cohesion Policy and The Netherlands – European Commission-The Netherlands Partnership Agreement and Summary  

Column by Eelco H. Dykstra, MD, for Diplomat Magazine

Introduction

Eelco Dykstra writes a monthly column called “A smile and a thought…” The columns put a playful spotlight on the interface between the Dutch and the International Community it hosts. Yes, his musings may appear at times to be mildly provocative at first sight but they are first and foremost playful – with a little irony thrown in here and there… You be the judge!

His columns are intended to give you ‘a smile and a thought’. A smile because perhaps you hadn’t quite looked at something that way and a thought because the column may leave you wondering…

Please Note: This column is not very playful and if there is a smile at all, it is very much a ‘wry’ smile since the topic is the shooting down of flight MH17/KL1403…

————————————————————————————————————————— A QUESTION WELL WORTH ASKING…. On the day of writing this, the Dutch and other nations flew the first remains of MH17/KL1403 victims to the Netherlands for the grim task of identification. Everyone, including the media, is focused on the pain, the mourning and the emotional outcry. As an emergency physician and experienced crisis manager, I have witnessed numerous times and in many ways the grief and emotional hardship caused by the sudden loss of loved ones, particularly when this loss of life was deemed avoidable and young children are involved. In the coming days and weeks, as the acute hardship and the public pain will lose some of its current intensity, additional questions will be raised while others might remain unasked. It would not be the first time that in the aftermath of heart-breaking disasters critical questions are being downplayed or avoided. Right from the start I found it interesting that everyone is referring to flight MH 17, even though the flight took off from Schiphol also as KL 1403. Which also explains why there were so many Dutch nationals on board. Some of these critical questions ought to be posed therefore not only to the Malaysian authorities responsible for safety but in particular to the Dutch authorities. Why was the flight path of MH 17/KL1403 allowed to go over the eastern part of the Ukraine? The Netherlands are to lead an independent and international investigation into the cause of the downing of MH17/KL1403, yet most of the Dutch safety experts are already calling for imposing strict economic and legal sanctions or even military measures against those believed to be responsible for this tragedy, i.e. Russian separatists and Russia. I’d like to invite the Netherlands to also critically review their own approach to safety issues and critically look at the performance of their own ‘National Coordinator for Terrorism and Safety’ (http://english.nctv.nl/). Why did they allow the flight path of MH 17/KL1403 to go over the eastern part of the Ukraine? Clearly, allowing this flight path was a mistake which made the ensuing loss of lives avoidable. Remember that it was not for lack of imagination or information; it was quite obvious that an armed conflict had spun out of control and included surface-to-air missiles capable of hitting commercial airliners. Reason enough for authorities and airlines from other countries to re-route their flight away from the area. In other countries we might already have witnessed the realization that another flight-path would have prevented this tragedy in the first place. So instead of focusing only on those who shot the plain down, public anger and professional criticism could – and perhaps should –  also be directed to (staff within) the Dutch ‘National Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism and Safety’ or Dutch officials responsible for Aviation Security. Not so in the Netherlands. No discussion. Nobody resigned. Nobody got dismissed. The question why the separatists had something to shoot at in the first place, seems not to be part of the general discussion – and may not become part of the formal inquiry, even though I argue that it should. Instead, as we have seen before, also in the Netherlands, there is an alarming habit of public authorities, immediately after shocking events, to publicly proclaim: “This could not have predicted and this could not have been prevented…”[1] So it becomes easy: the blame falls on others, there is no need for critical self-reflection. Why did they allow the flight path of MH 17/KL1403 to go over the eastern part of the Ukraine? Time for the Dutch and Malaysian authorities and experts to critically review their own performance too – and not only focus their anger and emotions on the separatists and Russia. In closing, beyond the understandable and emotional heart-break of the international disaster with MH16/KL1403, allow me a more general observation. I’ve always wondered why we as humans seem to always wait until something happens and then, only then, respond. Would being a little bit more pro-active not make a lot more sense – and, in this case, would have saved us from the considerable – and avoidable – loss of life on board flight MH17/KL1403? What do you think?

By Baron Henri Estramant. The global trade of kava should be worth at least € 70-75 million for the South Pacific countries of Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei), however, the much needed revenue for the Pacific Ocean region has declined dramatically since Germany and other EU countries withdrew their market license to all kava-containing pills or pharmaceuticals. In the South Pacific vox populi it is simply referred to as a de facto “ban”. Nevertheless a true EU-wide ban is not in place as the spokesperson for the EU’s Health Directorate General Frédéric Vincent clarified, rather restrictions apply in some EU member states. Likewise the global the trade has been badly damaged in the USA since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report admonishing about the potential perils of kava consumption for the liver. Notwithstanding the negotiations led by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), as well as “bilaterally” with the individual kava-growing states begin to bear fruits. Indeed, Vanuatu’s Ambassador to the EU, Roy Mickey Joy. Piper methysticum under its scientific name or simply kava is an herb endemic to the South Pacific Ocean region. It is commonly used to prepare traditional beverages known for its relaxation effects. Kava is also widely used in rites of passage, political, religious or ceremonial rituals dating back to at least the 10th century. But aside the cultural importance of kava in the South Pacific the international trade thereof is badly needed for countries with very few indigenous resources in large scale to export. Trading kava to EU countries as well as to the USA and Canada is “vital” according to Vanuatu’s Ambassador Roy Mickey Joy. For “the economies of the South Pacific the trade is vital in European markets because Europeans are seeking alternative natural or rather herbal remedies for reducing anxiety, sleeplessness, pain, and depression” . But even on the other side of the Atlantic, a consumer advisory dated March 25, 2002 of the US American FDA further warns “of the potential risk of severe liver injury associated with the use of kava-containing dietary supplements”. The FDA position remains unchanged mainly because producers manufacturing kava-containing pharmaceuticals “cannot quantify the popularity of kava use by consumers” . The FDA has not called for an outright ban on kava based pharmaceuticals/products as it exists in Canada yet it believes it is mission to inform consumers about the alleged “liver-related risks associated with the consumption of it. Kava-containing products have been associated with liver-related injuries – including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver failure — in over 25 reports of adverse events in other countries”. The presence of kava in a supplement should be identified on the product label in the “Supplement Facts” box. Having the latter into account, the “FDA has seen somewhat of a resurgence of products containing kava on the market. After FDA released the consumer advisory in 2002, there seemed to have been a decline in the availability of products due to lack of product liability insurance” according to Media Officer Christopher C. Kelly from the FDA. The ban in Canada was a result of the “ban” (in fact restrictions) in some EU countries rather than own scientific research. The license for kava-containing was withdrawn for pharmaceuticals in France, Switzerland, the UK or The Netherlands without home-made research after the German Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM) did so first. Exporters from the South Pacific continue to fight the “EU ban” on pharmaceutical products based on kava. They consider it to be a violation of the international trade agreements with the WTO. Back in 2005, Fiji even presented a formal complaint to the WTO buttressed up by Tonga. According to figures provided by Fiji “only three cases have emerged out of 450 million pills dispensed worldwide between 1990 and 2000”. In the South Pacific kava has been consumed quotidian without any adverse health effects on the population for centuries. As a matter of fact, it guarantees social cohesion and harmony because it is consumed au lieu of alcohol. “By 10pm Pacific Islanders sleep soundly after an evening of kava consumption. Crime is almost non-existent”. All in all about 3.500 kava farmers/exporters in the entire South Pacific are dependent on exports to EU countries, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Trade with South America or Asia is negligible largely due to the own culture for indigenous herbal products in those markets according to Ambassador Roy Mickey Joy. Alternative markets in China and New Caledonia have not proved to be as profitable. Even the UK with excellent ties to most South Pacific countries has seen it fit to prohibit medicines manufactured with kava since 2002. Yet the ban does not apply if the kava-kava products were manufactured in a European Economic Area (EEA)/EU country or are in free circulation there. Yet one should notice that one liver-damaging extract of a sort known as WS 1490 had been processed in Germany by Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals headquartered in Karlsruhe. “This company refused to give samples of extracts to the scientific community for in-depth chemical analysis. It has been suggested that these events were caused by the poor quality raw material or incorrect kava parts in the manufacture of a few extracts”. Schwabe counteracts that “after the ban of Kava products and the loss of commercial interest Schwabe stopped all activities concerning Kava and thus did not provide samples for investigations”. A German study from 2008 showed that the hepatotoxicity which damages the liver may be caused by contamination with aflatoxins or other mould hepatotoxins rather than by the kava plants themselves. The recommendation therefore is only to export the noblest (purest) kava herbs, greater quality control during production of derived products as well as the consumption of products with care. One should also beware that there are about 100 varieties of kava, and that those which caused the liver-damage might be isolated extracts. Notwithstanding pharmacist Dr. Matthias Schmidt, a kava expert, from “HerbResearch” based in Bavaria bemoans the lack of interest of German health authorities in reintroducing kava to the German market. According to him at scientific kava conferences “German authorities have shined through their absence”. On the other hand EU representatives attended the kava conference which took place in March 2012 in Vanuatu.  Nonetheless no representatives were present at the latest kava conference in Suva on 6 March 2014 The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat concerns with the proliferation of strict regulations for kava worldwide set up the International Kava Executive Committee, which seeks ways to get the restrictions in some EU countries lifted. They see an immediate –conservative- potential of about €4 million just in kava trade to the EU  if the restrictions are lifted in Germany, the UK, France and Switzerland. One should notice that the market of most EU countries are technically open for kava, yet the contact with countries in the South, North and Centre of Europe is limited economically and diplomatically . Kava pharmaceuticals have been classified as “new entity” in Germany which entails that firstly extremely expensive research must be financed to get the pharmaceuticals approve. “The purpose must be to keep kava-containing medicines out of the free market. It does not seem to matter that the EU position only triggers disapproval outside the EU”. The kava advocates rhetoric is misleading as EU wide restrictions are not in place. Vanuatu alone exports about € 0.32 million worth in kava nowadays as opposed to the € 1.34 million before kava restrictions began to sprawl up. Statistics show the total loss of economic commercial value due to the trade restrictions ranges at least between 150 and 200 million dollars, in the last ten years”. Kava trade to Australia and New Zealand is free though imports for personal use are limited in a similar fashion to alcohol or tobacco in Australia. Australia’s Northern Territory does have a ban to supply or possess kava because it was used as a substitute for alcohol in large quantities by locals. In New Zealand the trade is easier because of the large population of Polynesians living there. The International Kava Council is particularly active in Brussels (EU level), London as well as neighbouring New Zealand and Australia. A viable solution to for the relicensing of kava pharmaceuticals might be to reintroduce the export of raw kava for its further handling in Europe, the USA, Australia and New Zealand through strict guidelines as to ensure the safe products for the consumers.  Some of the recommendations made by the kava producing countries are i) the usage of underground roots and the peeled stump as opposed to leaves, stems and basal stems, ii) give water soluble kava extracts preference over those extracted with chemical solvents, and iii) define and establish standards for a recommended daily dosage of kavalactones . Kava producing countries are likewise negotiating with the FAO to include kava-kava in the list of foodstuff so it can be treated just like any other alimentary product . The Pacific African Caribbean Pacific (PACP) Kava Initiative to resolve outstanding issues on Kava wistfully calls upon the EU to finance with about ca. € 11 million , a “Kava Sustainability Plan” which ought to include the reintroduction of kava-containing pharmaceuticals to the markets of the EU countries with present restrictions on it. The negotiations take place in the framework of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU. If the EU is willing to finance such developmental programme remains to be seen.    

By Michael Duke of Mecklenburg

To introduce the House of Mecklenburg (-Strelitz), one has to know that it is of Slavic decent; the only one amongst the formerly reigning German princely houses. The first time the name Mecklenburg is documented was on September 10^th 995.  In the 12^th century at the time of tribal leader Niklot (100-1160), Prince of the Obotrites, the princely family and its tribe were Christianised by Heinrich the Lion (1129-1195), Duke of Saxony and Bavaria. Mecklenburg became a part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1170; it became a Dukedom in 1348. As time passed on (1621) the house was split into the branch of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Güstrow. The line of Mecklenburg-Güstrow died out in 1695 and the main ducal line Mecklenburg-Schwerin was split a last time into the branches of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1701. The line Mecklenburg-Strelitz had great difficulty to find its way, due to the burning down of their first castle in Strelitz in 1712, creating a great amount of debt. As it was a small state of approximately 3.000 square kilometres, it was not politically important and had only a little income. Nonetheless, at the end of the 18^th century the situation changed dramatically. Duke Carl (1741-1816) became an influential prince of the Holy Roman Empire through par alliance. His sister, Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) married King George III. of Great Britain, Hannover and Ireland (1738-1820). Later his own daughters Luise (1776-1810) and Frederike (1778-1841) married the crown prince and later King Friedrich Wilhelm III. of Prussia (1770-1840) and his brother Friedrich Ludwig. However, later Frederike married Ernst August (1771-1851), later King of Hannover. The Congress of Vienna raised the Mecklenburg-Strelitz monarch to the rank of Grand Duke on June 28^th 1815. As Grand Duke Carl died in 1816, his son Georg (1779-1860) continued the line. The close family and diplomatic relations between Mecklenburg (-Strelitz) and Prussia made it possible for the Prussian Kingdom to build a railway through Mecklenburg-Strelitz on costs of the Prussian state. At the time, the latter helped Mecklenburg-Strelitz to decrease its debt and taxes as well as to industrialise. Grand Duke Georg’s children further enlarged the importance. His second son, Georg August (1824-1876) married into the Russia Imperial Family becoming son in law of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich (1798-1849), brother of Emperor Nikolas I. of Russia (1796-1855). Georg August’s brother, the Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm (1819-1904) married the Princess Augusta of Cambridge (1822 –1916), granddaughter of the British monarch George III. – further deepening the ties between Britain and Mecklenburg-Strelitz. At that time, the family became well off becoming one of the top ten richest families in Europe. Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1876-1934) married Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962) of the Netherlands in 1901, and thus became Prince Consort of the Netherlands; he is the Great-grandfather of the present King of the Netherlands. Often the members of the Grand Ducal House went abroad for education. For instance, the last reigning Duke Gustav Adolph of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (1633-1695) was a student in Leiden approximately 1649/1650, Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1748-1785) was a student at Leiden University approximately 1764 (at which I am currently studying as well) before serving in the Royal Navy and the Austrian army. Grand duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz studied and became Doctor of civil law of the University of Cambridge. Duke Carl Michael of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1863-1934) studied and became Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Strasbourg.  Additionally, Duchess Donata of Mecklenburg-Schwerin’s daughter Alix von Solodkoff studies in Maastricht. Studying the connections to other reigning houses gives an impression of the diplomatic relevance of the Mecklenburg House. The territorial sovereignty was lost party in 1871, completely in 1918. The Grand ducal family of both lines were exiled in Denmark and went back to Mecklenburg in the 1920s. In the period of the Third Reich (1933-1945) the Mecklenburg-Strelitz family endured great difficulties again as private property was intentionally burned down by Nazi sympathisers, or bombed during the war. The head of the house (my great-grandfather) was imprisoned in the Sachsenhausen-Concentration Camp (KZ) in 1944. His son was captured (my grandfather) by the Gestapo. Nonetheless, as the situation has cleared up, the family is again reinforcing old connections as well as making new ones.

On 17th July, Maarten Greve, Senior Manager of Government & Industry Affairs at KLM, visited the Embassy of Colombia in the Netherlands to inform about the company’s decision to flight back to Colombia with the circle flights Amsterdam – Bogotá – Cali – Amsterdam. This is evidence of Colombia’s great advancement and the growing relations between Colombia and the Netherlands. As KLM stated, the airline will start to fly on the 31st of March 2015 three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) by operating a 777-200 Boeing to Bogota and Cali, and will be the only European airline flying to Cali. The return of KLM in Colombia – who operated the Bogota route from October 1992 until March 1995 – is due to the rapid growth of the Colombian economy, the international impact, and the new image of a more peaceful country with a promising economic future. The operating 777-200 Boeing will have the capacity to have 318 passengers and two types of class services: business class and economy class. The World Business Class or Business Class, will have 35 seats, and the economy Class will have 283 seats, of which 34 are Economy Comfort. The price of the ticket in low and mid-season will be approximately of 1.000 USD including tax (about 1,900,000 COP). Furthermore, KLM will transport as cargo perishable products such as flowers and vegetables, and products related to the sugar industry. It will also transport imports that can benefit the country , such as spare machinery parts for the sugar industry. The airline highlighted the importance of flying to Cali due to its proximity to the Buenaventura port and the coffee zone.