June is here and with its arrival, we soon say goodbye to spring and hello to summer. Aside from anticipating some sunnier weather, here are nine things expats in the Netherlands can expect this month.
1. New Dutch government incoming
After multiple rounds of negotiations between the representatives of the Dutch right-wing coalition, and several Prime Minister nominations, the end is finally in sight. After naming Dick Schoof as the intended candidate for next Prime Minister, the new Dutch cabinet should be formed by the end of June.
2. EU elections on June 6
European elections in the Netherlands take place on June 6, 2024. Any EU citizen over 18 years old can vote provided they registered before April 23. Dutch citizens are not required to register and will have received a voting pass at their home address.
3. Speed cameras in Amsterdam to enforce lower speed limit
From June 1, the four fixed speed cameras on Stadhouderskade in Amsterdam will be set to a speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour. In addition to these existing speed cameras, flex speed cameras will be used at various times on Postjesweg, Kattenburgerstraat and Oostenburgergracht. Anyone snapped going over the speed limit can expect a fine.
This comes after a new 30 km / h speed limit was introduced in Amsterdam last year. According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the speed cameras are part of a pilot to investigate whether installing such cameras is the right means of enforcing the lower speed limit.
4. Updated version of registration cards for cars
If you plan on buying a car in June, you’ll notice that the credit card-sized registration card for motor vehicles has gotten an update after 10 years. The new registration card will have a new appearance, contact chip and adjusted safety features.
Cars registered with the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) from mid-June will receive the new registration cards.Previously issued registration cards will remain valid.
5. Eurostar trains to London to stop in Brussels
Original plans to stop Eurostar trains between the Netherlands and London have been replaced with another solution that will see travellers having a 48-minute stopover in Brussels to complete passport control. This will be the case from June 14, but will not actually impact the journey time as passengers won’t have to arrive at Amsterdam Centraal so ahead of time, as the passport control has been temporarily relocated to Brussels.
6. New version of HBO Max comes with price hikes
Discovery+ is being absorbed into a new version of HBO Max in June. The updated version will see new features and an expanded range of entertainment including select Discovery content.
This means that after the launch of the new HBO Max version, you will not be able to get a new Discovery+ subscription. A brand new version of HBO Max also brings higher costs, with the standard subscription changing from 59,99 euros per year to 99,99 euros per year.
7. Online payment system, Wero launches across Europe
A new online payment system called Wero will launch across Europe this month. Wero was created by the European Payments Initiative (EPI), an organisation which is made up of 20 European central banks and was founded in 2020 in order to create a pan-European online payment system.
The EPI acquired iDEAL towards the end of 2023and hasplans to slowly integrate the well-known Dutch payment system intoWero from 2025. With Dutch banks such as ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank taking part, the long-term goal is that Wero will rival the competition posed by Apple Pay, Pay Pal, Mastercard and Visa.
8. UEFA Euro 2024
Most of you are probably well aware that the European Football Championships are taking place in Germany this June. The first game of the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament will see the hosts play against Scotland in Munich on June 14, with the Netherlands’ first game against Poland scheduled for two days later in Hamburg.
If you want to make plans to head out to your local bar to see the Dutch team play, the Netherlands’ other group games will be against France on June 21 and Austria on June 25.
9. Summer to arrive in the Netherlands
Although the Dutch weather hasn’t been giving summer vibes yet, the season for beach days in the sun is almost here. The longest day of the year (the summer solstice) will kick off the summer season on Thursday, June 20. While there is no guarantee that the weather will be sunny, there are several events and festivals taking place that will keep your spirits up in the coming month.
Thumb image credit:Sandra Mori / Shutterstock.com
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