Dutch gov't agreement done, sent to parliamentary factions

Nearly seven months after the parliamentary elections, the negotiators of the VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie are finally done with their new government agreement, formation mediator Gerrit Zalm announced on Monday. The agreement was sent to the four parties' parliamentary factions, which have the rest of Monday to read through it, ask questions and make comments, NU.nl reports.

"We have reached an agreement that I will present to the faction with conviction and positive advice", CDA leader Sybrand Buma said, according to the newspaper. D66 leader Alexander Pechtold called it a "solid agreement". "I am proud that this has been successful and that it is a balanced and sustainable agreement", he said.

According to ChristenUnie leader Gert-Jan Segers, the agreement is based on give and take. "There is a lot of pain for everyone, but also very nice points. So I am going to my faction with great confidence", he said. VVD leader Mark Rutte only said that he is "very happy" with what is on the table.

The negotiators refused to comment on the content of the agreement, though a large number of plans have already leaked to the public.

On Tuesday the negotiators will meet again to discuss their factions' comments and to make any necessary adjustments. According to NU.nl, this is expected to happen late on Tuesday morning or early in the afternoon. After that, the government agreement will be officially presented.