VVD, BBB to take over ministries as PM Schoof addresses NSC's departure

The new ministers in the departments of foreign affairs, public health, and social affairs will come from the VVD party. The BBB will supply two new ministers for the education and interior affairs ministries, caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof said during a debate about NSC’s departure from the Cabinet.

Schoof cannot yet reveal the names, “as this requires careful consideration in the process and will be announced as soon as possible.” The same applies to the four vacated state secretary positions. It is not yet clear whether all of them will be filled.

The VVD and BBB agreed on the distribution of the ministries on Tuesday evening. Until the new officeholders are sworn in, the duties of the resigned state secretaries will be handled by the remaining ministers and state secretaries.

Schoof said that the Cabinet is exercising restraint. He acknowledged that the Cabinet’s base, which had already lost its majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, after the PVV left, is now even narrower. “That is a reality we must approach realistically.”

In the coming months, Schoof hopes to still make progress “in close consultation.” He specifically mentioned issues such as solving the issues from the benefits scandal, matters concerning Groningen, and next year’s budget. “It would be irresponsible to enter a period of stagnation on an important issue like migration or asylum. And the war in Ukraine isn’t waiting for us either.”

Schoof added that he hopes that the Tweede Kamer and the Cabinet are able to find common ground and help each other so that they can achieve as much as possible in the lead-up to the elections and the formation of a new government.

The caretaker prime minister called NSC’s departure from the Cabinet a “painful event” that harmed the reputation of politics. “I take it personally. We take it personally. There are no winners after Friday. And I say that with the deepest regret.”

Schoof had spoken with King Willem-Alexander about the current political situation on Monday. Afterwards, the king met individually with Jan Anthonie Bruijn, the President of the Senate; Thom de Graaf, Vice President of the Council of State; and Martin Bosma, the Speaker of the Tweede Kamer.