Headlines July
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Coastguard radio systems not working, emergency calls cannot be heard
The Coast Guard is experiencing a network failure, which means that the radio systems cannot be used. As a result, the Coast Guard can no longer listen to shipping traffic and therefore cannot receive emergency messages via this system. The disruption is only at the coastguard. This means that ships can still communicate with each other and that Rijkswaterstaat and the coastguards of neighbouring countries Belgium and Great Britain can still receive emergency reports.
Other system
The Dutch coastguard has asked Rijkswaterstaat, the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) and shipping companies to keep a close eye on the reports and to pass them on by phone. "We can then alert our lifeboats via another system," a spokesperson reports. The malfunction was noticed around 06:00. It is still unclear what exactly is going on. It is very unusual for the system to be down for so long, the spokesperson reports. "We have had a malfunction before, but then a reset was sufficient."
Not extremely busy
With the help of Rijkswaterstaat and foreign coastguards, the coastguard expects that help reports will 'simply' come in. According to the spokesperson, despite the nice weather, it is not extremely busy with pleasure boating along the coast today. "It is a weekday and it is not yet holiday time."
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2573184-radiosystemen-kustwacht-werkten-urenlang-niet-noodmeldingen-niet-te-horen
Mass claim against six energy suppliers due to variable rates
The Fair Trade Practices Foundation is summoning six energy suppliers for price increases in variable energy contracts. These are Essent, Eneco, Vattenfall, Greenchoice, Energiedirect and Budget Thuis. Almost 55,000 people are said to have joined the claim.
According to the foundation, it is not clear what energy suppliers base their rate changes on. They are allowed to change the rates in the meantime, but it is not clearly described in the provisions that the suppliers use. The financial consequences are also not clear in advance. The collective action, also known as a mass claim, revolves around the variable energy contracts that were concluded from 1 April 2017. Almost 55,000 people have joined, according to the counter on the website. "Our goal is first and foremost to compensate consumers who have paid too much in the past," says Esther Janssen, chair of the foundation. "We also want energy suppliers to deal with their customers in a fair and transparent way in the future."
The foundation refers to a ruling by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal on 25 March 2025. After a Vattenfall customer objected to a price increase, the court ruled that the supplier's unilateral price change clauses were unfair. In doing so, the court agreed with an earlier ruling by a lower court.
Millions of people may have been paying too much for years
Almost all energy suppliers in the Netherlands use the same conditions for the variable contract, so the ruling could mean that millions of consumers have been paying too much for years. That is why the Consumers' Association opened a reporting point in April.
Whether the claims foundation will actually win remains to be seen. For example, a court ruled in another case in May that Essent was allowed to implement an interim increase. That ruling seems to be at odds with the ruling in the Vattenfall case. In any case, the case is not over yet, because Vattenfall has decided to go to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has not yet made a ruling.
Source: https://www.nu.nl/economie/6360839/massaclaim-tegen-zes-energieleveranciers-vanwege-variabele-tarieven.html
Million in cash, designer bags and jewelry: CAK employees involved in healthcare fraud
The Labour Inspectorate seized more than a million in cash and luxury goods such as designer bags, jewellery and watches yesterday in an investigation into fraud with healthcare money for foreigners without insurance. The items were found during searches of five homes, vehicles and safes. Employees of the Central Administration Office (CAK) are involved in the fraud, the Labour Inspectorate reports. The CAK tells the NOS that two employees of the government organisation appear to be involved. They worked in the department that processes declarations. This allowed healthcare providers to be paid for care that was not provided at all. The CAK says it is shocked. "We discovered the fraud ourselves and are fully cooperating with the criminal investigation by the Labour Inspectorate," a spokesperson said. The CAK has taken "appropriate measures" against the two employees.
Homes and safes
The Labour Inspectorate did not want to say more about the searches than that they took place in and around The Hague. Five homes, vehicles and safes were searched at safe deposit box provider De Nederlandse Kluis. The Labour Inspectorate does not want to say whether the homes, vehicles and safes belong to the suspected CAK employees. The CAK pays out healthcare claims to healthcare providers on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The CAK and the Labour Inspectorate previously warned that the arrangements for paying healthcare money to foreigners without insurance are very susceptible to fraud. Because the CAK cannot check the invoices, the door is open to collect fake invoices, including by organized crime. It is estimated that in 2023, around 13 million euros were defrauded with this healthcare money.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2573599-miljoen-aan-cash-merktassen-en-sieraden-cak-medewerkers-betrokken-bij-zorgfraude
NL-Alert for major incident involving hazardous substances
In Borculo, large orange clouds of a hazardous substance are escaping from the Friesland Campina site. Emergency services are warning of the incident on Oude Needseweg with an NL-Alert exclamation mark: 'Go inside! Close windows and doors and turn off ventilation.' “Chemicals in a truck parked at the Friesland Campina site have reacted with each other, causing the large orange clouds,” says a spokesperson for the safety region. There have also been several reports of people hearing a loud bang. “Measurement teams are on their way to determine what the substance is and how dangerous it is. In Apeldoorn, consultations are underway with municipalities and we are monitoring where the cloud may be moving and whether more people need to be warned and evacuated.” There are a few houses in the area and emergency services have escalated from the first to the second level.
“Due to the size of the company, the possible amount of hazardous substance, and the expected spread of this dark yellow substance, the fire department has escalated to ‘GRIP 2,’” writes the safety region. The NL-alert has been issued for the area around Borculo towards Haarlo. The safety region urges people not to come to the site. “Also stay out of the area from Borculo towards Haarlo.” The police have already cordoned off several access roads.
Source: https://www.gld.nl/nieuws/8334421/grote-knal-en-giftige-oranje-wolken-tank-ontploft-met-gevaarlijke-stoffen
Part of Tynaarlo town hall evacuated after 'powder letter': turns out to be clumsy action by hotel
The municipality of Tynaarlo received a suspicious letter this morning. Part of the town hall was evacuated. It turned out not to be a dangerous powder letter, but an envelope containing flour. It appears to be a campaign by a hotel in Epe.
Tynaarlo itself calls it a "powder letter" that was intercepted. "The municipality of Tynaarlo was alerted by another municipality, which had also received this letter. This allowed the letter to be quickly traced and handed over unopened to the police. After investigation, the envelope was found to contain flour," the municipality wrote in a statement.
Several Drenthe municipalities
"A total of two hundred municipalities received this letter," the municipality reports. Tynaarlo's claim is unclear. The police cannot say whether more municipalities received a suspicious letter. Tynaarlo is now referring to "several municipalities."
When asked by ANP, Hoogeveen and De Wolden also said they had received the letter. "They acted according to protocol, and it soon became clear it was flour," said a spokesperson for the two municipalities. This also applies to Aa en Hunze.
Cookie Recipe
The municipality of Amersfoort reports that the letter contained flour "and a cookie recipe." Amersfoort was one of the recipients. Omroep Gelderland reports that the Nijmegen municipal shop was evacuated this morning after receiving a suspicious letter. No hazardous substances were found in Nijmegen either.
The sender of the letters is the conference hotel Villa Heidebad in Epe, Gelderland. The hotel regrets the "powder letter" it sent to several municipalities containing flour and a cookie recipe. "It was very inconvenient," says Bjarne Pechler, owner of the conference center. "We didn't consider at all that our letter could be interpreted as a powder letter. It's far from what we intended to achieve. The intention was to thank the municipalities."
Annoying situation
After receiving the letter, several rooms in the town hall in Tynaarlo were evacuated. "Several colleagues were left in limbo for some time. All in all, an unpleasant situation." The police have taken the letter and are investigating the matter.
Source: https://www.rtvdrenthe.nl/nieuws/17613825/deel-gemeentehuis-tynaarlo-ontruimd-na-poederbrief-blijkt-onhandige-actie-van-hotel
Labor Inspectorate sees more fatal accidents at work
In the first six months of this year, forty people in the Netherlands have already died at work, the Labor Inspectorate reported in response to questions from the NOS. In 2024, that number was 52 for the entire year.
Rob Paumen, head of the Working Conditions Department at the Labour Inspectorate, speaks of "a significant increase that worries us." This increase is not easily explained, as the number of deaths appeared to be stabilizing in recent years. Less than two years ago, then-Minister Van Gennip formulated an ambitious goal: zero deaths due to poor working conditions by 2040. "It's becoming a challenge to achieve that now," Paumen acknowledges.
Reporting is a legal obligation
The number of reported serious injuries after a workplace accident has also risen in recent years: from almost 2,400 in 2023 to over 3,200 last year. However, according to Paumen, this increase may be explained by employers' greater willingness to report injuries. It is legally required to report an accident to the Labour Inspectorate if the employee involved needs to be hospitalized, if there is permanent injury, or if the employee has died. It has long been known that not everyone reports accidents. The Labour Inspectorate assumes that 50 to 70 percent of accidents go unreported and therefore tries to increase the willingness to report them.
Two dead in Rotterdam port
The NOS questions were prompted by a serious accident in Rotterdam's Waalhaven harbor. Last month, two people died and two were injured while unloading steel plates into a ship's hold. The company involved has declined to comment further, pending the outcome of a criminal investigation by the Labor Inspectorate. According to the FNV trade union federation, 2025 is expected to equal or surpass 2023 due to accidents like this, when 72 people died. Anyone tracking the causes of the accidents will see, according to a spokesperson, that the victims primarily worked in the "well-known sectors": construction, agriculture, transport, and industry. "In the first two sectors, we work extensively with migrant workers," notes the FNV. "We know they are more likely to be accident victims. They often perform unskilled, low-paid, and temporary work in sectors with higher risks. They are also often highly dependent on their employer, making them less likely to report poor working conditions. Due to language barriers, instructions and warnings are not always properly understood, and these people are not always properly trained."
Staff shortages one of the causes
Like the FNV, the Work Accidents Foundation, which advocates for victims and their families, points to another possible explanation for the rise in fatalities. "I think there are a variety of causes, but one of them is staff shortages," says chairman Klaas Zwart. "The pressure to do something 'quickly'. That's why accidents happen more often." Zwart's foundation previously commissioned extensive research , which showed that workplace accidents are more common in smaller and medium-sized companies. They are often unfamiliar with regulations and have less money to invest in safe working conditions. According to Rob Paumen of the Labor Inspectorate, such efforts are actually worth the effort: "Companies that structurally invest in safe working conditions have fewer accidents and therefore less absenteeism due to illness, less production loss and fewer occupational risks."
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2575351
Public Prosecution Service shuts down internet due to 'vulnerability', abuse not ruled out
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has disconnected all internal systems from the internet after a warning from the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) that a "vulnerability" exists in the system. According to the OM, misuse cannot be ruled out. A "thorough analysis of the Public Prosecution Service environments" has given reason "to assume that this possible vulnerability has actually been exploited," the Justice Department wrote.
Hectic
A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service in Amsterdam called the situation "hectic" because employees cannot log into systems. As far as is known, no cases have been postponed. The Judicial Council confirmed this to NOS when asked. "Judges can access the case file, but prosecutors cannot," says a court spokesperson. "It's a bit of improvisation, for example, by printing out a file."
Previous warning
The NCSC already warned about the vulnerability last month and early this month. The cybersecurity center indicated that "attackers could exploit the vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to certain parts of the system." At the end of March, the Public Prosecution Service was briefly disconnected from the internet due to an outage, and it couldn't be ruled out that malicious actors had compromised the system. An investigation by the crisis management team at the time revealed that the disruption wasn't external.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2575495
The Coast Guard is experiencing a network failure, which means that the radio systems cannot be used. As a result, the Coast Guard can no longer listen to shipping traffic and therefore cannot receive emergency messages via this system. The disruption is only at the coastguard. This means that ships can still communicate with each other and that Rijkswaterstaat and the coastguards of neighbouring countries Belgium and Great Britain can still receive emergency reports.
Other system
The Dutch coastguard has asked Rijkswaterstaat, the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) and shipping companies to keep a close eye on the reports and to pass them on by phone. "We can then alert our lifeboats via another system," a spokesperson reports. The malfunction was noticed around 06:00. It is still unclear what exactly is going on. It is very unusual for the system to be down for so long, the spokesperson reports. "We have had a malfunction before, but then a reset was sufficient."
Not extremely busy
With the help of Rijkswaterstaat and foreign coastguards, the coastguard expects that help reports will 'simply' come in. According to the spokesperson, despite the nice weather, it is not extremely busy with pleasure boating along the coast today. "It is a weekday and it is not yet holiday time."
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2573184-radiosystemen-kustwacht-werkten-urenlang-niet-noodmeldingen-niet-te-horen
Mass claim against six energy suppliers due to variable rates
The Fair Trade Practices Foundation is summoning six energy suppliers for price increases in variable energy contracts. These are Essent, Eneco, Vattenfall, Greenchoice, Energiedirect and Budget Thuis. Almost 55,000 people are said to have joined the claim.
According to the foundation, it is not clear what energy suppliers base their rate changes on. They are allowed to change the rates in the meantime, but it is not clearly described in the provisions that the suppliers use. The financial consequences are also not clear in advance. The collective action, also known as a mass claim, revolves around the variable energy contracts that were concluded from 1 April 2017. Almost 55,000 people have joined, according to the counter on the website. "Our goal is first and foremost to compensate consumers who have paid too much in the past," says Esther Janssen, chair of the foundation. "We also want energy suppliers to deal with their customers in a fair and transparent way in the future."
The foundation refers to a ruling by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal on 25 March 2025. After a Vattenfall customer objected to a price increase, the court ruled that the supplier's unilateral price change clauses were unfair. In doing so, the court agreed with an earlier ruling by a lower court.
Millions of people may have been paying too much for years
Almost all energy suppliers in the Netherlands use the same conditions for the variable contract, so the ruling could mean that millions of consumers have been paying too much for years. That is why the Consumers' Association opened a reporting point in April.
Whether the claims foundation will actually win remains to be seen. For example, a court ruled in another case in May that Essent was allowed to implement an interim increase. That ruling seems to be at odds with the ruling in the Vattenfall case. In any case, the case is not over yet, because Vattenfall has decided to go to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has not yet made a ruling.
Source: https://www.nu.nl/economie/6360839/massaclaim-tegen-zes-energieleveranciers-vanwege-variabele-tarieven.html
Million in cash, designer bags and jewelry: CAK employees involved in healthcare fraud
The Labour Inspectorate seized more than a million in cash and luxury goods such as designer bags, jewellery and watches yesterday in an investigation into fraud with healthcare money for foreigners without insurance. The items were found during searches of five homes, vehicles and safes. Employees of the Central Administration Office (CAK) are involved in the fraud, the Labour Inspectorate reports. The CAK tells the NOS that two employees of the government organisation appear to be involved. They worked in the department that processes declarations. This allowed healthcare providers to be paid for care that was not provided at all. The CAK says it is shocked. "We discovered the fraud ourselves and are fully cooperating with the criminal investigation by the Labour Inspectorate," a spokesperson said. The CAK has taken "appropriate measures" against the two employees.
Homes and safes
The Labour Inspectorate did not want to say more about the searches than that they took place in and around The Hague. Five homes, vehicles and safes were searched at safe deposit box provider De Nederlandse Kluis. The Labour Inspectorate does not want to say whether the homes, vehicles and safes belong to the suspected CAK employees. The CAK pays out healthcare claims to healthcare providers on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The CAK and the Labour Inspectorate previously warned that the arrangements for paying healthcare money to foreigners without insurance are very susceptible to fraud. Because the CAK cannot check the invoices, the door is open to collect fake invoices, including by organized crime. It is estimated that in 2023, around 13 million euros were defrauded with this healthcare money.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2573599-miljoen-aan-cash-merktassen-en-sieraden-cak-medewerkers-betrokken-bij-zorgfraude
NL-Alert for major incident involving hazardous substances
In Borculo, large orange clouds of a hazardous substance are escaping from the Friesland Campina site. Emergency services are warning of the incident on Oude Needseweg with an NL-Alert exclamation mark: 'Go inside! Close windows and doors and turn off ventilation.' “Chemicals in a truck parked at the Friesland Campina site have reacted with each other, causing the large orange clouds,” says a spokesperson for the safety region. There have also been several reports of people hearing a loud bang. “Measurement teams are on their way to determine what the substance is and how dangerous it is. In Apeldoorn, consultations are underway with municipalities and we are monitoring where the cloud may be moving and whether more people need to be warned and evacuated.” There are a few houses in the area and emergency services have escalated from the first to the second level.
“Due to the size of the company, the possible amount of hazardous substance, and the expected spread of this dark yellow substance, the fire department has escalated to ‘GRIP 2,’” writes the safety region. The NL-alert has been issued for the area around Borculo towards Haarlo. The safety region urges people not to come to the site. “Also stay out of the area from Borculo towards Haarlo.” The police have already cordoned off several access roads.
Source: https://www.gld.nl/nieuws/8334421/grote-knal-en-giftige-oranje-wolken-tank-ontploft-met-gevaarlijke-stoffen
Part of Tynaarlo town hall evacuated after 'powder letter': turns out to be clumsy action by hotel
The municipality of Tynaarlo received a suspicious letter this morning. Part of the town hall was evacuated. It turned out not to be a dangerous powder letter, but an envelope containing flour. It appears to be a campaign by a hotel in Epe.
Tynaarlo itself calls it a "powder letter" that was intercepted. "The municipality of Tynaarlo was alerted by another municipality, which had also received this letter. This allowed the letter to be quickly traced and handed over unopened to the police. After investigation, the envelope was found to contain flour," the municipality wrote in a statement.
Several Drenthe municipalities
"A total of two hundred municipalities received this letter," the municipality reports. Tynaarlo's claim is unclear. The police cannot say whether more municipalities received a suspicious letter. Tynaarlo is now referring to "several municipalities."
When asked by ANP, Hoogeveen and De Wolden also said they had received the letter. "They acted according to protocol, and it soon became clear it was flour," said a spokesperson for the two municipalities. This also applies to Aa en Hunze.
Cookie Recipe
The municipality of Amersfoort reports that the letter contained flour "and a cookie recipe." Amersfoort was one of the recipients. Omroep Gelderland reports that the Nijmegen municipal shop was evacuated this morning after receiving a suspicious letter. No hazardous substances were found in Nijmegen either.
The sender of the letters is the conference hotel Villa Heidebad in Epe, Gelderland. The hotel regrets the "powder letter" it sent to several municipalities containing flour and a cookie recipe. "It was very inconvenient," says Bjarne Pechler, owner of the conference center. "We didn't consider at all that our letter could be interpreted as a powder letter. It's far from what we intended to achieve. The intention was to thank the municipalities."
Annoying situation
After receiving the letter, several rooms in the town hall in Tynaarlo were evacuated. "Several colleagues were left in limbo for some time. All in all, an unpleasant situation." The police have taken the letter and are investigating the matter.
Source: https://www.rtvdrenthe.nl/nieuws/17613825/deel-gemeentehuis-tynaarlo-ontruimd-na-poederbrief-blijkt-onhandige-actie-van-hotel
Labor Inspectorate sees more fatal accidents at work
In the first six months of this year, forty people in the Netherlands have already died at work, the Labor Inspectorate reported in response to questions from the NOS. In 2024, that number was 52 for the entire year.
Rob Paumen, head of the Working Conditions Department at the Labour Inspectorate, speaks of "a significant increase that worries us." This increase is not easily explained, as the number of deaths appeared to be stabilizing in recent years. Less than two years ago, then-Minister Van Gennip formulated an ambitious goal: zero deaths due to poor working conditions by 2040. "It's becoming a challenge to achieve that now," Paumen acknowledges.
Reporting is a legal obligation
The number of reported serious injuries after a workplace accident has also risen in recent years: from almost 2,400 in 2023 to over 3,200 last year. However, according to Paumen, this increase may be explained by employers' greater willingness to report injuries. It is legally required to report an accident to the Labour Inspectorate if the employee involved needs to be hospitalized, if there is permanent injury, or if the employee has died. It has long been known that not everyone reports accidents. The Labour Inspectorate assumes that 50 to 70 percent of accidents go unreported and therefore tries to increase the willingness to report them.
Two dead in Rotterdam port
The NOS questions were prompted by a serious accident in Rotterdam's Waalhaven harbor. Last month, two people died and two were injured while unloading steel plates into a ship's hold. The company involved has declined to comment further, pending the outcome of a criminal investigation by the Labor Inspectorate. According to the FNV trade union federation, 2025 is expected to equal or surpass 2023 due to accidents like this, when 72 people died. Anyone tracking the causes of the accidents will see, according to a spokesperson, that the victims primarily worked in the "well-known sectors": construction, agriculture, transport, and industry. "In the first two sectors, we work extensively with migrant workers," notes the FNV. "We know they are more likely to be accident victims. They often perform unskilled, low-paid, and temporary work in sectors with higher risks. They are also often highly dependent on their employer, making them less likely to report poor working conditions. Due to language barriers, instructions and warnings are not always properly understood, and these people are not always properly trained."
Staff shortages one of the causes
Like the FNV, the Work Accidents Foundation, which advocates for victims and their families, points to another possible explanation for the rise in fatalities. "I think there are a variety of causes, but one of them is staff shortages," says chairman Klaas Zwart. "The pressure to do something 'quickly'. That's why accidents happen more often." Zwart's foundation previously commissioned extensive research , which showed that workplace accidents are more common in smaller and medium-sized companies. They are often unfamiliar with regulations and have less money to invest in safe working conditions. According to Rob Paumen of the Labor Inspectorate, such efforts are actually worth the effort: "Companies that structurally invest in safe working conditions have fewer accidents and therefore less absenteeism due to illness, less production loss and fewer occupational risks."
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2575351
Public Prosecution Service shuts down internet due to 'vulnerability', abuse not ruled out
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has disconnected all internal systems from the internet after a warning from the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) that a "vulnerability" exists in the system. According to the OM, misuse cannot be ruled out. A "thorough analysis of the Public Prosecution Service environments" has given reason "to assume that this possible vulnerability has actually been exploited," the Justice Department wrote.
Hectic
A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service in Amsterdam called the situation "hectic" because employees cannot log into systems. As far as is known, no cases have been postponed. The Judicial Council confirmed this to NOS when asked. "Judges can access the case file, but prosecutors cannot," says a court spokesperson. "It's a bit of improvisation, for example, by printing out a file."
Previous warning
The NCSC already warned about the vulnerability last month and early this month. The cybersecurity center indicated that "attackers could exploit the vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to certain parts of the system." At the end of March, the Public Prosecution Service was briefly disconnected from the internet due to an outage, and it couldn't be ruled out that malicious actors had compromised the system. An investigation by the crisis management team at the time revealed that the disruption wasn't external.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2575495
Translated from Dutch to English with Google translate