Opinion April 26, 2020
The prettiest boy in the European class, who also always clicked with the master, now ends up in the corner himself
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Less than two weeks after his hurly, hautain and, according to his German colleague, improper action in the Council of European finance ministers, the settlement with Wopke Hoekstra has started. Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Finance and Economy, informed him that in an hour or so he would announce in TF1’s journal that Air France had seven billion in aid ready, consisting of four billion in bank guarantees and three billion in direct loans from the state. On television, the minister stipulated that for the money of the taxpayer something was expected in return: Air France-KLM should become the most environmentally conscious airline in the world. At the same time, France expected to improve profitability.
For example, Le Maire placed Wopke Hoekstra in front of the block. He immediately forced him to do something similar. Otherwise the turnips were cooked. And so the many viewers at Bed and Breakfast of broadcaster Max saw their beloved program roughly interrupted for a hastily improvised press conference about the pennies that the Netherlands would put in the pocket of KLM. Hoekstra had neither a plan nor an amount. All told, it would be two to four billion. Were these loans, guarantees or gifts? The Ministry of Finance was not yet sure about this. Strict conditions would be set, but they too remained vague: perhaps a wage sacrifice in the higher regions of the company, more attention to the environment? You could see that the minister had been robbed.
This is just the beginning of what awaits him. For thrifty apostle and economic vice speaker Wopke Hoekstra, there is still a lot in the Brussels barrel.
To avoid a complete collapse of the Dutch economy and society, so much has been argued that a budget deficit of at least 92 billion euros is expected. This immediately led to a new cliché that is now mainly the mouth of the minister, but soon also half politics: the biggest shortage outside wartime. In concrete terms: about twelve percent. It is likely that this will not stop there but that it is still quite high
And that in the country that has been tapping the other EU Member States since the 2008 crisis, as soon as they show excessive budget deficits. Then absolutely “reforms” and austerity are needed. Jan Kees de Jager started this in 2010. He used to say that he is a Dutchman blunt may be blunt. His successor, the reformed-looking mathematician Jeroen Dijsselbloem – who ended up in the PvdA for unclear reasons – made it even more colorful. Dijsselbloem hit rock bottom when he blamed the southern member states with their sour heads for spending their euros on alcohol and women. Wopke Hoekstra continued that tradition by nagging and fiddling about frivolous fiscal policies, especially among the Member States that are most affected by the virus are affected.
And now mister is on the lookout with a budget deficit of 12% while 3% is the unwavering standard, as the Netherlands has utterly bored to say.
Now that the European finance ministers, together with the government leaders, have decided to ignore the 3% ceiling for the time being, but this is not a feather to show off in a perfumed ass.
The colleagues will ask Hoekstra interestedly how he and the Netherlands intend to solve this problem. And no doubt they will reminisce about previous meetings.
The best boy in the class who also always clicked with the master, now ends up in the corner himself. The annoying thing is that we are added to it with our seventeen millions.
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