Is the Industry at Stake? How the Netherlands Is (Not) Preparing for a Major Crisis

While the government publicly offers reassuring words about the energy crisis, the industry—and, behind the scenes, The Hague as well—is on high alert. Unlike during the COVID-19 crisis, however, there is no consensus on a solution, and mutual frustration is growing. This raises the question of whether the government will take sufficient measures in time.

For this article, I spoke with several people over the past week who have a good understanding of current developments, both in the business world and in The Hague. Almost all of those conversations were “offthe record, ” meaning they cannot be attributed to specific individuals, so that people could speak freely. The analysis that follows is my own—Joris Heijn—and is occasionally supplemented with an anonymous quote in quotation marks to indicate how people think and speak behind the scenes.

In this story, you will read about:

• Which industries will be affected and which will not
• Which sectors could face difficulties in the very near future
• Why the perception that the government isn't doing anything is wrong
• But why it’s also difficult to regain the resolve to tackle the pandemic

Crisis or no crisis, that is the question

How serious is the crisis looming over us? Who should you believe? The government, which is primarily trying to project a sense of calm and is merely laying the groundwork for measures“if the situation calls for it”? Or the few energy experts who aren’t hiding their panic?

In the industry, that’s not even a question. All safety belts are fastened, and crisis teams have been formed. Here, the tsunami warning has long since sounded; now we just have to wait for the waves to actually hit.

To understand why the industry is watching these developments with trepidation, it helps to first break down the industry. It is, in fact, quite diverse.