Negotiations With D66 and GL Stop

The discussions between a delegation of the government and opposition parties D66 and GroenLinks has failed. "The negotiations have stopped," said D66 leader Alexander Pechtold on Monday about their conversations to see how they could help to realize several coalition agreements. These included the topics 'arrangements for parents with children' and 'higher education'. Pechtold: "There's too much difference between the wishes of D66 to invest in education and the opportunities that the government wants to create. This could have been an agreement." Bram van Ojik, leader of GroenLinks, was also disappointed in the outcome of the conversation. "There was not even a beginning of a perspective that we could talk seriously about sustainability," he said. "We wanted to make it work, but it seemed not possible." According to Van Ojik, it is currently not useful to talk further. It depends on the government now how it goes on, he says. Constructive Minister of Finance Jeroen Dijsselbloem stated that the government, given the budget problems, now can not meet the expectations of D66 and GroenLinks. But he spoke of a constructive conversation, where the discussion partners were approaching each other on many fronts. In mid-August Dijsselbloem will continue to talk with the two opposition parties. The budget for 2014 should be finished in August. It is important for the coalition of VVD and PvdA to meet some parties in the opposition, since they have no majority in the Senate. Students Student Union LSVb is glad D66 and GroenLinks have kept their grounds during consultations with the government. That said chairman Jorien Janssen on Monday after it was announced that the negotiations had failed. Also Intercity Student Association (ISO) responded positively to the failure of the talks. The ISO calls for an opposition proof plan. "Hundreds of thousands of ambitious students have to know where they stand," says chairman Ruud Nauts. "We should stop the procrastination of the cabinet."