A new bill to create a series of regulations for surrogacy in the Netherlands has divided the coalition parties that make up the country's Cabinet. The proposal should make the procedure easier, and will also put an end to surrogacy for pay. But the ChristenUnie has already said on Friday it is against the proposal, while D66 called it "an important step." The proposal comes from Legal Protection Minister Franc Weerwind. The D66 politician said the legalization of surrogacy will make "lengthy procedures" a thing of the past. The Council of Ministers approved the plan on Friday.
ABN AMRO is chasing away Caribbean account holders with high costs
AMSTERDAM - ABN AMRO has still found a way to get rid of its account holders abroad. They are suddenly confronted with a surcharge on the usual costs. For residents of Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba, the surcharge has been 15 euros per month since 1 July. For Aruba, the surcharge remains limited to 8 euros because the country falls in a lower risk category than the other islands.
Earlier this year, ABN AMRO attacked its Dutch customers living abroad by announcing that they would unilaterally close their accounts. Under pressure from the Ministry of Finance, the bank - of which the Dutch state is the majority shareholder - suspended that decision.