"Hope, courage, pride": Main points from the right-wing parties' coalition agreement
The PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB’s coalition agreement consists of 26 pages under the heading “Hope, courage, and pride.” The right-wing parties plan to invest in social security, cut on asylum, limit other immigration, and be less ambitious in the fight against climate change. Here are the main points from the agreement, as compiled by NOS. The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of parliament, will debate it next week.
The coalition agreement is divided into ten chapters. The proposed policy mostly still has to be elborated on by the future Cabinet. “Whether it concerns social security, healthcare or money in our pockets or the availability of sufficient housing, our ambition is great,” the four parties wrote. “We also want to stem the excessive influx of asylum seekers and immigrants. We want farmers, gardeners, and fishermen to have a future again.”
Social security
The parties want to increase social security. They agreed to cut the healthcare deductible by more than half to 165 euros from 2027. They also want to reduce labor burdens “for example, by introducing an additional income tax bracket.” They want to promote security in the labor market, improve debt assistance, and make childcare almost free.
Asylum and immigration
The coalition wants the strictest asylum policy ever. They plan to implement a temporary Asylum Crisis Act to allow them to take far-reaching measures. The parties want to abolish the asylum permit for an indefinite period and adjust the permit for temporary residence. Asylum seekers whose applications were rejected must be “deported as much as possible, including forcibly.”
Refugees—asylum seekers granted asylum in the Netherlands—will no longer get priority for social housing. The parties also want to scrap automatic family reunification and “sharply limit” the number of people who qualify for it. The coalition is also scrapping the asylum distribution law, which was passed by the Tweede Kamer and Eerste Kamer after much blood, sweat, and tears from outgoing State Secretary Eric van der Burg.
The right-wing government will also set additional requirements for labor migrants from outside the EU and harshly tackle “rogue employment arrangements.” They want to limit the number of international students with more courses provided in only Dutch, introducing limits to how many international students can enroll, and increasing tuition fees for non-EU students.
On integration, the four parties want mandatory teaching about the Holocaust and stricter language requirements. They also want to regulate amplified calls to prayer, something typical of Islam.
Housing and infrastructure
The new Cabinet wants to structurally create 100,000 new homes per year by making more land available and accelerating construction procedures, among other things. They plan to limit social housing rent increases and for at least 30 percent of new construction to be social rentals. For homeowners, they’ll cap the increase in property taxes, and “the mortgage interest deduction will not be compromised.”
The parties plan to increase speed limits back to 130 kilometers per hour “where possible,” also during the day. They want to improve the accessibility of rural areas “by strengthening bus transport between village centers in the countryside” and pushing through on the construction of the Lelylijn, a train connection between Leylstand and Groningen.
Agriculture and fishing
The coalition will do “everything possible” to change European directives on agriculture. They’ll try to adapt the Nitrate Directives and “recalibrate” Natura 2000 areas. “Aimed at a main structure of robust nature reserves, not scattered nature.” The parties also expressly stated that the Netherlands will no longer pursue a more ambitious nature policy than the rest of Europe.
There will be no forced reduction in the livestock population and no forced buyouts of farmers. There will be generous, voluntary buyouts and a full focus on innovation in agriculture. The parties are also bringing back the low excise duty on diesel for farmers, gardeners, and contractors, previously scrapped in 2013.
Energy and climate adaption
The coalition said it would adhere to existing goals in terms of climate policy. “But if we do not achieve the goals, we make alternative policies.” The billion-euro climate fund, which finances climate measures, will remain intact. The new coalition wants to build four large new nuclear power stations.
The parties want to focus on more energy independence and the Netherlands’ own sustainable energy production. Heat pumps are no longer mandatory, and subsidies for electric cars will be abolished from next year.
Healthcare and education
The new government wants to strengthen primary healthcare, including general practitioners, community nursing, and informal care. They want to make working in healthcare more attractive through “more autonomy, career prospects, good employment conditions, and limitation of regulatory and administrative burdens.” They also want to improve elderly care.
For education, the parties want used teaching methods to be “proven effective and politically neutral.” They want to reduce “anglicization” and focus more on basic literacy.
Good governance
The new government wants a new electoral system for the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament. It is not yet clear what this will look like, but it should strengthen “the regional bond between voters and elected officials.” They aim to have the new system in place at the next elections. They also want to work on a constitutional revision so that laws can be tested against the Constitution.
The parties also plan to add “a right to err” to the law. “A single mistake must no longer push a citizen into deep trouble.” The number of civil servants and government consultants will be cut, and they’ve also cut 100 million euros in public broadcasting.
Security
In the field of national security, the parties want to intensify the fight against organized crime with “more focus on asset confiscation” and a stricter approach to money laundering. They will also impose harsher penalties for serious crimes like terrorism, violence, and sex crimes and increase the maximum sentences in juvenile criminal law.
When it comes to international security, “the Netherlands continues to support Ukraine politically, militarily, financially, and morally against Russian aggression,” the agreement states. The NATO standard of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense will be enshrined in law.
Remarkably, the agreement also states that the parties will investigate “when a relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem can take place at a suitable time.” Most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv due to the complex status of Jerusalem.
Government finances
The coalition has agreed to make 14.7 billion euros in cuts per year, which are partly offset by additional expenditure. Overall, expenditure will ultimately drop by 4.7 billion euros per year.
Business climate
The new coalition wants to improve the business climate by partly reversing recent increases in tax burdens for entrepreneurs.
