It seems that the Dutch are bowing to US pressure and "reached an agreement" to bring in the export restrictions in January. The deal, which included Japan, involves the only three countries that are home to manufacturers of advanced machines to print microchips. 

Foreign Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher wrote in a letter to Dutch lawmakers that the government wants to prevent Dutch technology from being used in military systems or weapons of mass destruction.

This shows a lack of imagination as it is word for word the excuse the US used when it imposed its own export controls in October. The Netherlands claimed  wants to avoid losing its pole position in producing cutting-edge chip manufacturing tools.

China is not explicitly named in Schreinemacher's letter, the new policy is targeted at Chinese efforts to overtake the US and others like Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and leading European countries in the global microchips supply chain.

The new export restrictions deal a blow to ASML, the global leader in producing advanced microchips printing machines based in Veldhoven, in southern Netherlands. In the letter, Schreinemacher said the new export control measures include the most advanced deep ultraviolet (DUV) machines, which are part of ASML's advanced chips printers portfolio.

The Dutch firm, which is the highest-valued tech company in Europe, already did not receive export licenses for selling its most advanced machines using extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) technology to China since 2019. ASML in a statement confirmed it will now "need to apply for export licenses for shipment of the most advanced immersion DUV systems," but it noted it has not yet received more details about what "most advanced" means.