Netherlands
The Netherlands participated in the negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 and was the sole participating state to vote against its adoption. It has consistently voted against the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the TPNW, including in 2024. It observed the First Meeting of States Parties (1MSP) to the TPNW in 2022. The Netherlands may sign and ratify or accede to the TPNW, but will have to ensure the removal of the US nuclear weapons that it hosts at Volkel Air Base and make other changes to its policies and practices to become compliant.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1999, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1975) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2004) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1981) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1995) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Non-compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Non-compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Non-compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted no (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes (observer) |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 2 (50%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted no |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Abstained |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | Yes (Civilian) |
| HEU stocks | 100-1000 kg |
| Plutonium stocks | Stored abroad |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
The Netherlands participated in NATO’s nuclear strike exercise, known as Steadfast Noon, in October 2024. The Netherlands maintains recently acquired dual-capable F-35A aircraft that could be used to deliver nuclear weapons in a conflict.1
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, the Netherlands, in a joint statement with Belgium, Germany, and Italy, argued that NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangements are fully compatible with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and ‘have provided an element of stability to the NPT since its inception’. ‘This is because they provided allies with security guarantees that reduce incentives for them to develop their own nuclear capabilities,’ they asserted.2
In a national statement, the Netherlands lamented the continued ‘erosion of the global arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation architecture’3 and said that it would continue to ‘advocate for the reduction of the global nuclear stockpile, while firmly condemning nuclear sabre-rattling and denouncing any backsliding on our shared commitment to non-proliferation’.4
In a letter to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons in 2023, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Netherlands ‘cannot become a member of the TPNW in its current form’, despite sharing the TPNW’s goal of ‘a world without nuclear weapons’, as ‘the Treaty is incompatible with our membership as a NATO ally’. ‘NATO is a nuclear alliance as long as nuclear weapons exist. Moreover, the Netherlands has a nuclear weapons task within this alliance framework,’ it said.5
In 2022, at the request of its Parliament, the Netherlands observed the First Meeting of States Parties (1MSP) to the TPNW, but the government said in 2023 that it would ‘not participate as an observer in future meetings’.6
Recommendations
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The Netherlands should renounce the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, end the hosting of foreign nuclear weapons on its territory, and ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its defence posture.
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The Netherlands should comply with its existing obligation under Article VI of the NPT and pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.
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The Netherlands should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.
5) Letter from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ICAN, 9 October 2023.
6) Ibid.