An costly pact meeting. Benefits for the Netherlands

The area around the planet Forum conference centre in the country's administrative capital closed for traffic. This is simply a territory where global institutions, including Europol and the global Court of Justice, are located. The state of emergency besides included the close seaside hotel Scheveningen and the capital city forest. On the usual crowded streets, only government columns and police cars moved. The half-million-dollar city welcomed 9,000 visitors, including 6000 representatives of NATO associate States. Prime Ministers, Presidents, Defence Ministers and Heads of the MFA of all 32 countries in the Pact and from 13 partner countries arrived. The Dutch king Wilhelm-Aleksander welcomed the Huis palace this Bosch, in which he lives daily, heads of state and gave a solemn dinner.

The summit cost twice what was estimated. In 2014, the Hague organized the atomic safety Summit (NSS). Then guests from 53 countries arrived for 2 days, including US president Barack Obama and China leader Xi Jinping. Last year, the Dutch government, taking into account the costs of that gathering and inflation, allocated EUR 95 million to the organisation of the June NATO Summit, but cost EUR 183 million. The biggest issue was the justice strategy and the Ministry of abroad Affairs.

The Dutch government's press service explained the increase in costs higher than expected by wage and price increases, but besides added by the programme points. For example, the NSDIF, the NATO Defence manufacture Forum, to which 400 participants were invited. Its aim was to establish clear agreements for members of the Pact and the private sector.

The real cost of the gathering in The Hague was most likely even higher, due to the fact that NATO itself paid for accommodation and catering for workers of their organizations and the protection of the rooms where the Heads of State and Government meet.

The Netherlands recognised the summit as an chance to show itself as a good organizer and active NATO member. According to the government, the summit was worth its expense. In addition to helping The Hague to better cooperate with another countries, it inactive has image qualities, due to the fact that it attracts media interest from around the world. American-Dutch safety expert Glenn Schoen found this a good chance to make a brand. During the NSS summit, the planet announced a photograph of Obama with the then head of government Mark Rutte before Rembrandt's “Nightwatch”.

Bastiaan Meijer of the left-wing Socialist organization (SP) in turn considered that €183 million could have been better spent. The politician stated that the summit could be held little cheaply close the NATO office in Brussels. He besides added that he does not believe that the local economy benefited at the NATO summit. Although any restaurants, hotels, and catering companies recorded additional turnovers, at the same time the full Hagi districts were closed for a fewer days, and many people had to take time off due to the fact that they could not go to work. In addition, 30 power cables belonging to the railway burned down on the morning of June 24. Thousands of people could not scope Schiphol Airport by trains from Amsterdam and Utrecht. The government did not regulation out sabotage.

However, the city of The Hague benefits greatly from its position in the planet arena. global organisations based in this city spend €2.7 billion a year and make 20 000 jobs.