The Summer 2007 Issue a.o contains the following articles:

INTERVIEW

Ron Muyzert - Ambassador for International Organizations
In the 1990s, the Netherlands pursued a successful policy to attract international organizations to the country. There are currently 32 such organizations, primarily in The Hague. In 2005, IOSA, the organization representing the staff in these offices, undertook a survey of their members in which it became clear that expatriates were less than enamored by many aspects of their living conditions in the Netherlands. The Dutch government realized that they had neglected to support a welcoming environment once the organizations were established here, and that the reputation of their country as an international hub was at stake. The Cabinet thus designed an overarching policy to make the Netherlands an attractive and welcoming host.
Thus, in 2006 Mr. Ron Muyzert took up the post of Ambassador for International Organizations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. XPat Journal asked him about his role in implementing the government’s new policy.
Diane Lemieux

TAX

Tax Consequences of Renting or Buying a House
Expatriates in the Netherlands often ask the question: “Should I buy or rent a property while living here?” This is not always an easy to decision to make, particularly in light of the hard-to-predict Dutch housing market.
By renting a house, you can minimize your risks: the monthly rent to be paid is fixed and the rental contract can in most cases be terminated within two months. Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about maintenance or insuring the property. Buying a house, on the other hand, can be very tax beneficial. First of all, there are certain costs which can be deducted – such as the mortgage interest. Furthermore, as a house-owner you can benefit from a possible increase of the value of the property.
A highly informative article that might help you decide whether to rent or buy your home in the Netherlands.
www.expatax.nl
Arjan Enneman and Bart van Meijl, e-mail: info@expatax.nl
 

MONEY

Mortgages & Expats
Surfing the Internet to find more information on mortgages in the Netherlands, you might rapidly conclude that dozens of different types of mortgage are available here. However, if you study them in a little more detail, you will find that they can be divided into two main types: mortgages with interim redemption payments, and mortgages with a lump-sum redemption at the end of the mortgage term.
Henk van Seijen describes the various types of mortgages available in the Netherlands and advises expats on the best long-term or short-term options.
www.finsens.nl
Henk van Seijen, e-mail: hvanseijen@finsens.nl

CAREER

E-volution in Recruitment
The Story of Online Recruitment, So Far…
In simple terms, e-recruitment can be defined as the use of web-based technology to attract candidates and aid the recruitment process. Historically the terms ‘online recruitment’ and ‘e-recruitment’ were interchangeable, however as technology evolves at ever-increasing speed, organisations are beginning to interpret the terms differently.
It needs to be understood that e-recruitment is not just about using technology. It is about the recruitment system being able to attract the right candidate, using a selection that is based on sound and credible criteria, and a tracking process that can integrate with existing systems. Perhaps most significantly, e-recruitment is about cultural and behavioural change, both within HR and at line management level. For e-recruitment to deliver, an HR capability needs to be developed that will facilitate the system and view the staffing process as an end-to-end process, similar to that of a supply chain.
www.thealbanygroup.com
Martin Glick, e-mail: martin.glick@thealbanygroup.comHOUSING
 

HOUSING

Before Your Mortgage Is Finalized
The Mortgage Advisor, Realtor and Notary
Nicole van Santen is a Recognized Mortgage Advisor at Alpha Hypotheken and works at their Hague location. She focuses on expats who want to buy property in the Netherlands. In this article, she is interviewed about the role of the mortgage advisor, the realtor and the notary.
www.alphahypotheken.nl
denhaag@alphahypotheken.nl

Housing in Holland Special - The Dutch Property Market
Often referred to as the ‘gateway to Europe’, the Netherlands is home to some 16 million people, 4 million cows and 16 million bicycles. Encompassing some 16,000 square miles, it is the 2nd most densely populated country in the world, after Hong Kong, with an average of 2,000 people per square kilometer. More than half these people live in the provinces of North and South Holland, in what is known as the ‘Randstad’ area, which includes Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Rotterdam.
The saying goes that ‘God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland’. Indeed, two-fifths of the land is below sea level and, after centuries of fighting against the water, protecting their land with dikes and turning sea into land, the Dutch have managed to reclaim over 25% of the land mass. As early as the 7th century, the familiar windmills were in use to drain away the water. A complex system of dikes and pumping stations keeps the land dry today.
In the past, the Dutch were taxed according to how wide their houses were, giving rise to the tendency (that exists to this day!) to build them narrow and deep, especially in the cities. Additionally there was a glass tax at one point in time, as a consequence of which also the windows were kept small.

So what does this have to do with finding a house, you may ask? Three important factors are:
• lack of space – modest houses, small gardens, narrow streets, insufficient parking space
• lack of houses – not enough new homes are being built as the country is running out of space to build them, especially in the Randstad area
• lack of money – prices, driven upwards by shortages, are often daunting (though not as bad as in other big cities across the globe).

LEISURE

Tips by Here´s Holland - Wadden Islands
This is the second in our series of 'Travel Tips,' with excerpts from the new edition of the book Here's Holland, an all-in-one guide to travel and life in Holland, by Sheila Gazaleh-Weevers, with Shirley Agudo and Connie Moser.
There are five major and several smaller uninhabited islands located between the Waddenzee and the North Sea. The largest and most developed is Texel in North Holland, which can be accessed by ferry from Den Helder. (See Here’s Holland, for details about Texel.) The other four islands discussed in this article are officially part of the province of Friesland.
Each of the islands has its own special charm, but they are all very similar, with dunes, woods, bird sanctuaries, interesting architecture, and sandy beaches. 
There are hundreds of bungalows that can be rented – nestled in the dunes or close to the villages. The VVVs will help you make overnight and ferry reservations, as well as arrangements for renting a horse to ride on the beach, para-sailing, biking, walking with a guide to the islands through the mud flats (wadlopen), boating, sailing, hiking, bird-watching, and exploring nature. 
All islands have miles of bike trails, as well as numerous bike rental shops, for more information, visit www.vvv-wadden.nl 

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