Willem-Alexander's Salary Too High

The New Republican Society (NRG) thinks that the House of Representatives must debate on the “exorbitant salary'' of the king. The Society, which wants an elected head of state in the Netherlands, thinks that a net salary of 150,000 euro is enough for King Willem-Alexander. The NRG wants to submit a citizens' initiative. According to the law, at least 40,000 citizens have to sign the initiative. The NRG further calls on people, who have the same thoughts, to wear white instead of orange on April 30, the day that Willem-Alexander is inaugurated as king. Besides the initiative about the king’s salary, the NRG wants to submit a citizens' initiative to the House to consider the costs of the Royal Family. This news about the salary of Willem-Alexander comes on the same day that a comparison study on the costs of monarchies in Europe was reported. The Belgian professor Herman Matthijs has, for the seventh time, compared the costs of the eight biggest monarchies in Europe. According to the study Norway will spend the most on their monarchy, a total amount of 42.7 million euro, in 2013. The Netherlands are second with 39.9 million euro, closely followed by England which will spend 38 million euro on the monarchy in 2013. The monarchy in Spain is the cheapest with 7.9 million euro. “But,” Matthijs explains, “the bookkeeping of Spain is not very transparent.” Last year the costs for the monarchy in the Netherlands were the highest with 39.4 million euro.