U.S. policy towards the Netherlands

The U.S. partnership with the Netherlands is one of its oldest continuous relationships and dates back to the American Revolution. The excellent bilateral relations are based on close historical and cultural ties as well as a common dedication to individual freedom and human rights.

Economy

The Netherlands shares with the United States a liberal economic outlook and is firmly committed to free trade. The United States attaches great value to its strong economic and commercial ties with the Dutch. In 2007, the Netherlands was the fourth-largest direct foreign investor in the United States, and the United States was the second-largest direct foreign investor in the Netherlands.

The United States and the Netherlands often have similar positions on issues and work together both bilaterally and multilaterally in such institutions as the United Nations and NATO. The Dutch have worked with the United States at the World Trade Organization and in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as within the EU to advance the shared goal of a more open, market-led global economy. The Dutch, like the United States, supported the accession of 10 new members to the European Union in 2004, and accession negotiations for Turkey in 2005.

Security cooperation

The United States and the Netherlands joined NATO as charter members in 1949. The Dutch fought alongside the United States in the Korean War and the first Gulf War and have been active in global peace operations. The Netherlands played a leading role in the 1999 Kosovo air campaign. They currently are contributing to EU peacekeeping forces in Bosnia.

In the initial phase of the Iraq War, the Dutch deployed MGM-104 Patriot air and ballistic defense missiles to protect NATO ally Turkey, and sent a battalion of troops to Iraq to participate in stabilization operations. The Dutch also support and participate in NATO and EU training efforts in Iraq.

They are active participants in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

The Netherlands supports the global coalition against terrorism with leadership, personnel and material, including the deployment of troops to Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The Netherlands is a party to all 12 UN counterterrorism conventions.

In August 2004, the Act on Terrorist Crimes, implementing the 2002 European Union (EU) framework decision on combating terrorism, became effective. The act makes recruitment for the Jihad and conspiracy with the aim of committing a serious terrorist crime separate criminal offenses. In July 2009, the Dutch Government decided to initiate an external investigation into the legitimacy and effectiveness of Dutch counterterrorism laws and regulations.

The Dutch have taken a leading role in the European Union, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and other bodies to establish financial protocols to combat terrorism. They have assisted countries that lack the capacity to implement measures to combat terrorist financing. The Dutch Government takes steps to freeze the assets of individuals and entities included on the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1267 Sanctions Committee's consolidated list. In August 2008, the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Act (WWFT) became effective. The act incorporated the EU’s third Money Laundering Directive into Dutch national law.

The Netherlands is an active participant in the Container Security Initiative at Rotterdam, one of Europe's busiest ports. The Dutch Government also permitted U.S. CBP Immigration Liaison Officers to return to Schiphol airport to assist with U.S.-bound passenger screening (the program is now known as the Immigration Advisory Program). In May 2008, the United States and the Netherlands signed a joint statement enabling the start of the International Expedited Traveler Initiative (IET) between Schiphol airport and certain U.S. airports. In July 2008, the Dutch parliament ratified the U.S.-EU international extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties.

Drug Trade

The Dutch work closely with the United States and other countries on international programs against drug trafficking and organized crime. There is close Dutch-U.S. cooperation on joint counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean. The Netherlands actively participates in the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC). In May 2007, the Netherlands became a full member of DEA’s International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC). The 10-year Forward Operation Locations agreement between the U.S. and the Netherlands for the establishment of forward operating locations, as part of United States Southern Command, on Aruba and Curacao became effective in October 2001.

References

Adapted from public domain U.S. State Department Background Note, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3204.htm