Working Worldwide for the Security of the Netherlands Erosion of the international legal order also jeopardises free and open international trade flows. The government is working to keep land, sea and air supply routes secure, a shared interest of the international community. Securing these routes also means securing the supply of goods that depends on them. That calls for monitoring vital production and maintenance capacity and logistics chains. The Netherlands is helping to combat international piracy and other forms of organised crime. Preventing intentional disruptions of the supply of energy and raw materials is also crucial, and calls for active defence and a better information position on geopolitical and military-strategic efforts to affect supply security. To assure energy supply security, it is strategically important to prevent dependence on certain countries. In the future, tensions in the South China Sea and other major shipping routes as a consequence of conflicting territorial claims can also cause serious obstacles to trade and supply security. The government is therefore working to seek peaceful solutions to maritime disputes. Other trade-related developments, such as the Belt and Road Initiative announced by China in 2013 and the growing accessibility of the North Pole region, are not only creating economic opportunities but also have geopolitical implications. The government is taking steps to prepare for these developments. Goal 10: Tackling cross-border crime | 36 | The international policy of the Dutch police and other law enforcement agencies focuses on tackling organised crime in the Netherlands that originates in other countries. International organised crime is increasingly a threat to our country. This means that the interconnectedness of internal and external security has an impact on the work of the Dutch police and other law enforcement agencies. Crime is fluid, transnational and heavily cross-border in nature. Criminal networks are linked logistically, socially, culturally, financially and digitally. The drug trade, cybercrime, financial and economic crime, migration-related crime and terrorism are cross-border phenomena, especially in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The globally interwoven nature of crime can affect the security of the Kingdom directly and indirectly. This applies in particular to international terrorist networks, organised crime and the illegal trafficking and smuggling of people, goods and drugs. Efforts to tackle cross-border crime are linked to migration policy and conflict hotspots in the regions around Europe. For the police and other law enforcement agencies, it is crucial to recognise the symptoms of conflict hotspots and the associated instability in good time and to respond to them quickly. One of the cornerstones of efforts to tackle cross-border crime is ‘upstream disruption’. This means that the police do not wait for organised crime to strike in the Netherlands but try to combat it as far as possible at an earlier stage. Upstream disruption can be geographical, but is even more prevalent in the digital domain. Public-private partnerships are of great importance in this approach. In addition, the police work together internationally to exchange information, making use of a range of instruments, including liaison officers, participation in missions, and EU initiatives. This results in coherent, comprehensive, multidisciplinary cooperation with justice system partners at home and abroad. Working Worldwide for the Security of the Netherlands 4.3 Strengthen Strengthening the foundations of our security is very closely linked with the international legal order. Since that order is under pressure, our security and prosperity are, too. The same applies to the rule of law, which is under threat outside Europe and in some countries within Europe. That threatens the foundations of our security. The goals set out below aim to right this situation and thus strengthen the Netherlands’ security. Goal 11: Promoting the international legal order The government has a constitutional duty to advance the international legal order. It consistently shines a spotlight on countries that violate the territorial integrity of others and calls for measures to be taken against them, preferably through the UN. In cooperation with European and like-minded partners, the Netherlands consistently backs initiatives at the UN to promote stabilisation, conflict prevention and the international legal order. However, the current stalemate in the Security Council often hinders effective action against instability and insecurity by the international community. Where possible therefore, the Netherlands helps to promote the multilateral security system by, for example, supporting efforts to strengthen the effectiveness and legitimacy of leading multilateral organisations16 regional organisations17 and international institutions18 (see goal 12). The government also supports efforts to make UN missions more effective by, for example, advocating more clearly specified mission mandates, improvement in the quality of the troops deployed in missions, and the introduction of rotation schemes to ensure the continuous availability of scarce, high-grade capabilities. This will equip missions to perform their tasks adequately. In addition, the Netherlands presses for targeted EU and UN sanctions to stop violations of the international legal order. In extreme cases, attacks on the international legal order, the sovereignty of states and human security must be repelled by military means. For military operations, a mandate under international law is indispensable. Given the pressure on the international legal order and the instability in the regions around Europe, the need for peace missions and crisis management operations can be expected to increase. The Netherlands will continue to invest in these activities, partly because they are a form of forward defence. That calls for specific military, civil and diplomatic capabilities that will equip us to face future crises. The choices we need to make are set out in greater detail in the Defence White Paper, the International Policing Strategy and the policy framework for civil missions. The Netherlands’ contribution 16 E.g. the UN Security Council, the EU, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 17 E.g. the OSCE and the African Union. 18 E.g. the courts at the Peace Palace and the International Criminal Court. | 37 |