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Michel Maus stated that the road vignette was indeed a new tax, despite the message that, according to him, was on a N-VA debate note and which Minister Annick De Ridder had repeated. He wrote that the combination of the vignette and the reformed traffic tax would increase car taxation for many Flemish people. According to Maus, electric vehicles before 2026, for which no traffic tax is currently paid, would receive an additional charge with the road vignette. He also pointed out that the reformed traffic tax would take the weight of vehicles into account. Electric cars weigh on average 300 to 500 kilograms more than their fossil counterparts, meaning that the higher tax would not only affect Bentley and Cadillac drivers, as De Ridder had claimed according to Maus. Maus wrote that generating more revenue from car taxation was a political choice and called for that choice to be recognized. He argued that it was not credible to continue insisting that the measure had no tax consequences for the Flemish. In conclusion, he used a coarse insult to emphasize that people were not stupid even in the parking lot. https://t.co/J7ihP4SZj4 #Wegenvignet #Belastingen #Autofiscaliteit (translated)

The author stated that the Dutch population had grown from just over 1.1 million since early 2016 to approximately 18.1 million. According to the author, around 173,000 people had died and 167,000 babies had been born in 2025, resulting in negative natural growth and the total growth coming entirely from migration. The author referred to Jan Latten, who estimated the group of Dutch origin at about 12.9 million, and wrote that this group was expected to shrink by 1 to 2 million over the coming decades. By 2050, according to the author, the Netherlands would have about 20 million inhabitants. The author argued that the changing population composition put pressure on social and cultural relations, social cohesion, the welfare state, and the housing market. It was written that rapid changes complicated integration and increased parallel societies and clashing norms and values. According to the author, politicians focused too much on symptom treatment and paid too little attention to population growth due to migration and low birth rates among the indigenous population. The author praised Latten for his expertise and warned that politics, media, and society needed to take demographic changes seriously. https://t.co/wVfulQlN6k #demografie #migratie #socialecohesie (translated)

Bart Nijman wrote that the stuck plastic cap, in his view, symbolized the emptiness of European innovation. He stated that large technology companies and innovations in transport, logistics, and energy were mostly located in the United States and China. Nijman criticized the EU bureaucracy in Brussels and wrote that, in his opinion, it imposed new rules on workers and entrepreneurs while European companies weakened due to a lack of innovation and high energy prices. He mentioned companies in the steel and defense sector and German, French, and Italian car manufacturers. In contrast to Europe, he highlighted a man in the United States who, according to him, made cars drive with rocket boosters and thereby set an acceleration record of 0 to 100 in less than a second. Nijman concluded with the question of whether Europe would emerge from its own malaise and referenced images from several French cities that day. #innovatie #EU #technologie (translated)

Simone Juffermans wrote that the government had postponed the reopening of Lelystad Airport for over six years due to nitrogen problems and the vulnerable nature of the Veluwe. According to her, that same government had deemed military use by F-35s acceptable and decided to expand the airport by 40 hectares, bringing it to a total of 240 hectares. This would require four families and six businesses to relocate. Juffermans also wrote that there was still no nature permit and that Secretary of State Boswijk had said that this could not wait. She suggested that the government would adjust the nitrogen calculation method for this purpose. Boswijk reportedly acknowledged the consequences for the families and businesses involved, but according to Juffermans, he did not expect that more homes and businesses would disappear in the short term due to defense expansions. However, she stated that he could not rule that out. #Lelystad #stikstof #natuur (translated)

At the beginning of October, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Vincent Karremans (VVD) stated during a meeting in the House of Representatives that Lelystad Airport would not need an environmental permit if the cabinet succeeds in implementing a lower statutory calculation method for nitrogen. #LelystadAirport #F35 #Defensie (translated)

Jan B. Hommel wrote, referring to a report from NOS, that families and businesses had to leave near Lelystad airport due to the expansion of the defense sector. He stated that residents in the Netherlands had little legal protection according to him and that people like Derk Boswijk and the Ministry of Defense could take away their rights. Hommel noted that the airport, in his opinion, did not yet have an environmental permit, but that Boswijk had said that they could not wait for it. He wrote that citizens and companies sometimes could not wait for permits either, but that their interests, according to him, did not count. Hommel called the Netherlands a "banana kingdom," said that only cynicism remained, and wrote that it was time to leave the country. #Lelystad #Defensie #Rechten (translated)

Maurits Vande Reyde wrote that Vooruit wanted to significantly limit social media for young people because, according to the party, it was harmful and contained a lot of fake news. At the same time, the party would have, for the umpteenth time, set up accounts on TikTok and Instagram that pretended to be news accounts. Vande Reyde argued that they were managed by the party without this being mentioned, were targeted at young people, and were registered as news channels to circumvent advertising rules. He claimed that Vooruit was trying to reach a larger audience this way than with its own party accounts and pointed to brand manager Jordy. #socialmedia #fakenews #jongeren (translated)

In Paris, physicists and metrology experts are coming together to decide the future of the leap second, with the proposal to significantly increase the allowable deviation between atomic time and astronomical time in order to minimize issues with software and networks. #schrikkelseconde #tijdmeting #digitalisering (translated)

Max von Kreyfelt wrote in a column that Dutch bureaucracy, according to him, was slowing down the work of people who create things and maintained a large system of assessors, advisors, and task forces. He suggested that housing construction and entrepreneurship were facing more and more procedures, while shortages of skilled workers were being addressed with new task forces. He also wrote that citizens had to first demonstrate that they could survive financially before they were allowed to start a business, and that construction plans had to go through participation and policy procedures. He argued that people with the right contacts could navigate the system more easily and that mistakes made by officials were treated differently than those made by citizens. Those who asked questions were told, according to him, that trust in institutions needed to be restored, with a campaign funded by taxpayers. Von Kreyfelt referred to a warning from Ayn Rand and wrote that, in his view, the Netherlands was enabling fewer people to create things while more and more people were explaining why decisions were made carefully. He also mentioned that his collection was for sale and asked readers to support him. https://t.co/V2P6pFuNy1 #Nederland #overheid #ondernemen (translated)

"This will set a precedent, which you see more often in Europe. It starts with something small and then takes on a life of its own. The European Commission pretends it is free money. But that is not the case." VVD MEP Anouk van Brug sees the writing on the wall: "This will set a precedent, which you see more often in Europe. It starts with something small and then takes on a life of its own. The European Commission pretends it is free money. But that is not the case." #EuropeseBelastingen #EUbegroting #Brussel (translated)

"This will set a precedent, which you see more often in Europe. It starts with something small, and then takes on a life of its own. The European Commission acts as if it's free money. But that's certainly not the case." VVD Member of Parliament Anouk van Brug sees the writing on the wall: "This will set a precedent, which you see more often in Europe. It starts with something small, and then takes on a life of its own. The European Commission acts as if it's free money. But that's certainly not the case." #EuropeseRaad #EUbelastingen #Brussel (translated)

Researchers from Stanford University have discovered that bleached coral can recover in record time by leaning against a healthy piece of coral, although this method currently only works in a laboratory and is not applicable to natural coral reefs. #Koraalherstel #Klimaatverandering #Wetenschap (translated)

The seal population in the Wadden Sea will not suffer from the possible closure of the shelter in Pieterburen, but the educational function of the shelter will be lost, which is concerning for the protection and knowledge transfer about the seal eCOSystem. #zeehonden #Waddenzee #natuuropvang (translated)