| Dutch:Ministerie van Economische Zaken | |
 Ministry logo | |
 Building of the Ministry of Economic Affairs | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 17 August 1905; 120 years ago (1905-08-17) |
| Jurisdiction | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Headquarters | Bezuidenhoutseweg 73,The Hague, Netherlands |
| Annual budget | €5,2 billion (2018)[1] |
| Minister responsible | |
| Department executive |
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| Website | Ministry of Economic Affairs |
TheMinistry of Economic Affairs (Dutch:Ministerie van Economische Zaken; EZ) is theNetherlands' ministry responsible forinternational trade,commercial,industrial,investment,technology,space policy, as well astourism.
The Ministry was created in 1905 as the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce and has had several name changes before it became the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1946. In 2010 theMinistry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality was merged with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which was renamed as the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. In 2012 the name was reverted as the Ministry of Economic Affairs but kept the responsibilities of the former Ministry of Agriculture. In 2017, theMinistry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality was reinstated but the Ministry of Economic Affairs took on several of the environmental policies portfolios from the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, which was renamedMinistry of Infrastructure and Water Management. The Ministry of Economic Affairs was renamed Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. The old name was restored in 2024, when theMinistry of Climate Policy and Green Growth was spun off.
TheMinister of Economic Affairs (Dutch:Minister van Economische Zaken) is the head of the Ministry and a member of theCabinet of the Netherlands. The current Minister isDirk Beljaarts who has been in office since July 2024.
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The Ministry has currently fiveGovernment Agencies and several Directorates:
| Government Agencies | Responsibilities | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Foreign Investment Agency (Dutch:Buitenlandse Investering Bureau) | BIB | International trade | |
| Space Office | NSO | Space agency | |
| Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (Dutch:Centraal Planbureau) | CPB | Economic analysis | |
| Central Agency for Statistics (Dutch:Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek) | CBS | Statistical services | |
| Patent Office (Dutch:Octrooicentrum Nederland) | OCN | Patent office | |
The mission of the Ministry is to "promote sustainable economic growth in the Netherlands." It focuses on the key areas of "Knowledge economy and innovation," "Competition and dynamic" and "Room to do business."
The political responsibility of the ministry is in the hands of the Minister of Economic Affairs who is part of theDutch Cabinet. A Deputy Minister, called the State Secretary, serves as the second-in-command to the Minister.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has also a civil service department, led by the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General. The Ministry of Economic Affairs consists of four Directorates-General: Foreign Economic Relations, Economic Policy, Energy and Telecom, and Enterprise and Innovation. There are also some support departments.
In June 2015, following a lawsuit filed by the NGOUrgenda, the Hague District Court found that the Ministry was unlawfully violating its duty of care under theEuropean Convention on Human Rights by failing to adequatelyaddress climate change and ordered the government to reducegreen house gas emissions.[2] Instead, the Ministry appealed to the Hague Court of Appeal, which ruled against the Ministry in October 2018.[3] The Ministry has appealed to theSupreme Court of the Netherlands, where the court's Advocate and Procurator Generals have recommenced it rule against the Ministry.[4]
