Chamber president Bergkamp has officially opened the temporary housing of the House of Representatives. This happened in the presence of, among others, Mayor Van Zanen of The Hague and people who had registered via social media.
Bergkamp said the new building offers opportunities to innovate the way of working. “Now that we are literally distancing ourselves from our familiar environment, it also gives us the opportunity to look at our work differently and to innovate. We can also benefit from the move and we can also try things out.”
Today the summer recess comes to an end and the past period has been used to clean the entire Chamber to move. The Binnenhof is being renovated. The new, temporary Chamber Building is located in ‘B67’, the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague, not far from Central Station.
For the first time outside historical surroundings
Bergkamp hopes that the renovation of the Binnenhof will not take longer than agreed: 5.5 years. According to her, the whole purpose of the operation is to prepare the Binnenhof for future generations.
The President of the House spoke of a special moment, precisely because of the special stories associated with the Binnenhof. “For the first time in its life, the House of Representatives steps outside the historical environment in which it was formed. Where counts and kings preceded us for centuries on the shortcuts of the Binnenhof, it is we who take the first steps here in B67; that is quite exciting And it’s certainly unique.”
According to Bergkamp, the building is a mix of old and new. She pointed out that the plenary room is almost the same as the one in the Binnenhof. “We are attached to the debate setup.” And the first leaks have already been found. “Some things never change. There are buckets,” the Chamber president acknowledged.
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