Economics

Dutch to Invest $24 Billion in Economy With Delayed Fund

  • Government wants to improve infrastructure, help fund R&D
  • Investment plan marks shift away from austerity measures

Commuters ride bicycles over heart-shaped social distancing signs at a IJ River passenger ferry dock near Amsterdam Central Station in Amsterdam.

Photographer: Yuriko Nakao/Bloomberg
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The Netherlands is set to invest billions of euros in its economy, carrying out a plan announced several months before the coronavirus outbreak worsened the outlook.

The Dutch government plans to spend 20 billion euros ($24 billion) over five years to improve its infrastructure and spur research and development, according to a statement Monday. This money, which will be allocated by a national investment fund, will help address an aging population, climate change and low productivity growth.