The German Factor. A Survey of Sensitivity and Vulnerability in the Relationship between the Netherlands and the Federal Republic of Germany
There is a large degree of mutual interdependence between the Netherlands and the Federal Republic of Germany. The Netherlands is highly sensitive to developments in West Germany and has only limited policy options to counter that sensitivity, the WRR says in its report Under the influence of Germany. A Survey of Sensitivity and Vulnerability in the Relationship between the Netherlands and the Federal Republic of Germany (Report no. 23, 1982).
Four aspects surveyed
There seems to be a need in the Netherlands for more information about the nature of the relationship between the Netherlands and West Germany. In this report, therefore, the WRR investigates three policy areas in which a certain degree of interdependence exists between the two countries: economic relations, security relations and ecological and physical planning relations.
Little independent policy scope
In terms of economic relations, the government’s power to pursue its own policies is limited. The scope for unilateral Dutch policy measures is confined to the areas of bilateral trade, monetary policy and physical planning. Other issues, such as changes in security policy or effective measures to improve the quality of water in the Rhine, can only be addressed in a multilateral context.