Deputy PM warns of difficult budget talks as coalition begins spring review

Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Fleur Agema (PVV) said Sunday the upcoming negotiations over the spring budget update will be “very difficult,” pointing to the size of the financial challenges the Cabinet faces. “The task in the spring memorandum is very substantial,” she said during an interview on WNL op Zondag.

Still, she expressed confidence in the coalition’s ability to reach consensus, noting, “So far, we’ve managed to work everything out.” She is one of four deputy prime ministers in the Cabinet, with one representing each of the four coalition parties.

Agema specifically addressed concerns about rising healthcare costs. She criticized what she described as misleading suggestions that reducing the eigen risico—the annual deductible for basic health insurance—would result in higher premiums. The deductible is set to be halved in 2027.

According to Agema, the coalition has allocated approximately 5 billion euros to cover the cost of this policy shift. “The healthcare allowance will go up, and people will be compensated with lower income taxes,” she said.

Agema also commented on tensions within the governing coalition, downplaying the near-constant reports of political friction. “The mood is good,” she said, before adding with a laugh, “We’ve agreed to a maximum of one crisis per week.”

The annual spring budget memorandum, or voorjaarsnota, will be discussed starting Monday at the Ministry of Finance. The talks will be led by Finance Minister Eelco Heinen (VVD) and attended by Prime Minister Dick Schoof and the four coalition party leaders.

The memorandum is a mid-year correction to the national budget that takes into account unexpected financial developments, both positive and negative. Several ministers are pushing for additional funds in various policy areas.

While the coalition is making room for increased spending in areas such as defense and national security—largely in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine—Agema stressed that the main coalition agreement remains the framework for the government’s financial decisions.

“That agreement was based on estimates, yes, but I don’t expect it to be changed,” she said. “If we start tampering with that, then everyone’s commitments are up in the air.”