The Netherlands has no choice but to make the necessary sacrifices in order to ensure the continued existence of the euro, according to the outgoing head of the Social and Economic Council.

Only as part of the euro zone will the Netherlands be able to maintain its current role, especially in view of the rise of major economic players such as China, he told newspaper AD on Saturday.

In the interview, Alexander Rinnooy Kan urges the Dutch government to maintain good commercial relations with both economic superpowers - within a European framework. “We are simply too small to achieve that on our own,” he warned.

(cl/imm)

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