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11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

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Amsterdam not involved in sale of ABN AMRO

1 October 2008 - Alderman Lodewijk Asscher (economic affairs) is worried about the impact of the financial crisis on the Amsterdam economy. However, there is little he can do himself. This became clear in the city council this afternoon.

Amsterdam is not facing any mass redundancies yet, Asscher said. However, the financial sector amounts to 15% of the local economy, which is therefore vulnerable to the impact of the financial crisis. In addition, more expensive loans have an 'enormously restraining effect' on other sectors of the local economy.

Asscher's goal is not to make the city less dependent on the financial sector, but in fact to further promote this sector. He sees opportunities in niche markets such as pension funds and sustainable banking.

For concrete measures, the alderman turns to the national government. In het Parool he advocated tax cuts for pension funds, for companies involved in money transfer and for high-educated expats.

In response to a question of GroenLinks, Asscher said that he plays no role in the planned sale of ABN AMRO, which involves a substantial number of jobs in Amsterdam. The sale is part of a rescue plan for Fortis, which ran into trouble partly as a result of taking over ABN AMRO.

Incidentally, trade union FNV Bondgenoten recently argued that the sale should be postponed until markets have stabilised. The union also wants to nominate a commissioner at Fortis, to prevent workers' interests being overlooked.

See also het Parool, FNV Bondgenoten (both in Dutch)

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