Jetten and ex-minister Kamp argue over chairmanship of liberal faction in EP

D66 party leader Rob Jetten and former minister and VVD MEP Henk Kamp clashed verbally on Sunday over the chairmanship of the liberal faction in the European Parliament. Both parties are represented in the liberal faction. The heated debate between Jetten and Kamp took place on the television program WNL op Zondag and revolved around the parliamentary group chairmanship, which has now been temporarily taken over by VVD member Malik Azmani. The D66 does not agree with Azmani as permanent group chairman of the liberal faction.

D66 does not want Azmani as group leader because the VVD is negotiating a new Cabinet with the PVV in the Netherlands. According to Jetten, this is a "common practice" within the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe. If one of the members of this group starts working with extremist parties in their home country, it has to be investigated whether such a party belongs to this liberal faction, Jetten said.

According to the D66 party leader, this has happened before when liberal parties in Scandinavia joined forces with extreme populists. "What's good for the goose is also good for the gander. That will also apply to the VVD." Furthermore, Jetten called this year's European elections a 'Battle for Europe'. On the TV program he warned against extreme right-wing parties in Brussels and Giorgia Meloni, Viktor Orbán as well as Geert Wilders. "These are parties that want to destroy the EU from within," the D66 party leader said.

De Europese verkiezingen dit jaar noemt @D66-leider @RobJetten een 'Battle for Europe'. Hij waarschuwt voor extreemrechtse partijen in Brussel en Giorgia Meloni, Viktor Orbán én @geertwilderspvv. "Het zijn partijen die van binnen uit de EU kapot willen maken." #WNL pic.twitter.com/zCOHSzQzzu

— WNL Op Zondag (@WNLOpZondag) January 21, 2024

Kamp sharply attacked Jetten and D66 in this context. The VVD member finds it absurd that "the left-liberal club D66 is questioning whether the VVD belongs in this European group. We are at the base of the European parliamentary group, we are three times the size of D66, we are still in the Tweede Kamer, we helped build this European-liberal cooperation. Rutte was one of the great champions of this cooperation."

According to Kamp, the negotiations for a new cabinet, in which the VVD is involved, are "absolutely no argument for taking a hard line on the VVD in a European liberal group. I think D66 should be happy to be part of this group."