ANPYesilgöz (VVD) is in the old cabinet and is negotiating a new cabinet
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 11:53
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Guus Dietvorst
Politics editor
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Guus Dietvorst
Politics editor
Who is actually in charge at the moment in the Netherlands? A new cabinet is being forged by PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB, but until they have reached an agreement, the old outgoing cabinet of VVD, D66, CDA and CU will reign. This regularly clashes and the nascent coalition often emerges as the winner thanks to its majority in the House of Representatives.
A good example of this was the turn on public broadcasting: the outgoing cabinet decided last week not to make any further decisions about the future of public broadcasting. A week earlier, the government had intended to extend the NPO’s license for two years.
The forming parties collectively saw no point in this, because they wanted to intervene sooner at the NPO. “This D66 state secretary must give the forming parties the opportunity to make public broadcasting future-proof,” said VVD MP Martens against the Telegraph. And BBB MP Keijzer spoke of “ruling over your grave.” Well, then it’s up to you, was the answer from the outgoing Rutte IV cabinet.
Landslide
It is not surprising that there are substantive differences between the (possibly) upcoming coalition and the old one, given the political landslide of November 22. A different wind is blowing, with different majorities in the House of Representatives, and that means that the new majority is turning against the plans of the old one.
For example, the new House voted in favor of the European nature restoration law (against the wishes of the outgoing cabinet), there was a failed attempt to stop the much-discussed dispersal law and multi-parenthood is also at risk.
Billions out of the closet
Another interesting case is that of Agriculture Minister Adema’s fertilizer plan. A week ago it was leaked that he is working on a package of measures for the “extremely urgent” manure problem. The plan, which costs billions, includes a buyout scheme for farmers.
That completely went down the wrong path with the BBB. “It’s bizarre that you’re sitting here forming a formation and suddenly billions are being pulled out of the closet,” party leader Van der Plas responded furiously. She believes that the next cabinet (with her party in it) should take the lead in the field of agriculture.
The other three forming party leaders were also critical and supported a request from Van der Plas for an explanation. And that made Adema’s plan seem hopeless. “Before you is a very frustrated man,” was the response of the outgoing minister, because he cannot compete with the 88 seats of the future coalition.
Last night it turned out in the House of Representatives that the soup might not be eaten that hot after all. In a debate about the manure problem, VVD and NSC showed understanding for Adema’s plan. “The debate has surprised me a bit,” Van der Plas said today. So to be continued.
I don’t get involved with that at all.
Outgoing State Secretary Van der Burg
There are also hot potatoes that the old cabinet likes to pass on. Take the rising asylum numbers. More people are coming than previously anticipated, so more shelter will be needed next year and that will cost more money. “How you arrange this financially is up to the negotiators in the formation,” said State Secretary Van der Burg (Asylum). “I’m not going to get involved in that.”
That may be the case, but in the meantime the outgoing cabinet is still making all kinds of plans, under the motto ‘the country must be governed after all’. These plans cost money, which the successors can no longer spend on anything else. Take Adema’s fertilizer package costing billions or the proposed financial injection in the Eindhoven region to maintain the microchip sector.
Confess
If desired, the House can stop government plans by simply voting them down. But it does not always happen that way; it also happens that topics are pushed forward on the agenda of the House of Representatives, so that they are not voted on at all (for the time being). The advantage for the forming parties is that they do not have to show their colors in public and can arrange it at the formation table (and therefore spend the money there).
Interesting in all is the role of the VVD, the only party from the outgoing cabinet that is also at the formation table. At that table, discussions will include how to thwart plans by the government’s own outgoing cabinet. And that in turn leads to irritation and distrust among the other three old coalition parties, which sit weekly with VVD ministers in the council of ministers.
A complicated situation, which can actually only be ended in one way, namely by starting with a new cabinet. Work on this is progressing steadily, say informants Dijkgraaf and Van Zwol. “We’re going up the road to the top. And we’re cycling quietly,” said the former.
But until that top is reached, more clashes between the outgoing and the incoming power are certainly not excluded.
2024-04-10 09:53:09
#cabinet #coalition #making #interfering
