Prague reveals design plans for the Vltava Philharmonic Hall
The Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the international architectural competition
In the Netherlands, 700,000 households struggle with problematic debts
Amsterdam and Rotterdam will help citizens manage their debts wisely. In particular, the Dutch capital’s website informed on 9 September, that the two cities will become the first local authorities to join the Creditors' Coalition.
Said coalition unites 22 companies and organisations in The Netherlands to help customers to anticipate problematic debts and resolve payment arrears.
700,000 households struggle with problematic debts in the Netherlands, reads the website of the Schuldeiserscoalitie. The average debt amounts to 42,900 euros, spread over an average of 14 different creditors. A large part of this consists of fines, collection and bailiff costs.
The Creditors' Coalition consists of a group of primary creditors - insurers, energy companies, collection agencies, telecoms - whose common goal is to proactively help private customers who are unable to pay. The coalition works together and exchanges knowledge to enable and promote healthy payment behaviour. The parties, among which BNP Paribas, KPN, T-mobile, University of Amsterdam, meet several times a year to exchange knowledge and best practices.
And now two local authorities – the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam - will also join and adhere to the coalition’s Ethical Manifesto. In particular, the two cities also act as creditors and, as such, they can collect in a more social way.
The City of Amsterdam’s website informs that as part of the effort, they will help people who are struggling to pay municipal bills or have debts early on. They could grant a payment arrangement, or event postpone collection for a while, so that the citizens can get their affairs in order again.
Finally, as far as Amsterdam is concerned, the Taxation and Poverty Reduction departments exchange data to prevent people from getting into debt in the first place. For benefit recipients, the institutions automatically check whether they can obtain a waiver of municipal taxes.
If that is the case, they will arrange the matter without the citizen having to submit a request. As a result, since 2018, 5,530 Amsterdammers have automatically received a waiver.
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
The summer ticket will be valid on local and regional trains, buses, as well as on the U-Bahn and S-Bahn
The Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the international architectural competition
The city also added a new bathing area
The new Walking and Cycling Index shows that an overwhelming majority want to live in 20-minute neighbourhoods
Explore the underbelly of the city’s most iconic site in the moonlit hours
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
Close engagement initiatives with the business sector and residents were key to spreading the idea across the board
The new Walking and Cycling Index shows that an overwhelming majority want to live in 20-minute neighbourhoods
The city also added a new bathing area
The installation of the sensors is part of its “Smart Museum” project
Authorities want to do away with the passive status of nature in the city
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
An interview with Nigel Jollands and Sue Goeransson from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
An interview with the President of the City of Athens Reception & Solidarity Centre
A talk with the Mayor of Malmö on the occasion of the city’s UN Resilience Hub status