Politicians incapable of solving issues at public services, Dutch agencies say

Politics has no solutions for the problems that public service providers, such as DUO, SVB, and RVO, have been pointing out for years, according to the State of Implementation, the annual analysis by those three agencies. The organizations are calling for simpler laws and regulations.

The government is too reliant on “patterns and routines,” the service providers think. The organizations also noted that political instability in recent years has stood in the way of this renewal. The steering committee that wrote the report wants to engage in discussions with politicians, for example, after the general elections, during the formation of a new government.

At the presentation of the report, steering committee chair Abdeluheb Choho called on political parties to be honest. “Don’t get lost in grand visions and promises, don’t hide behind a tightly drafted coalition agreement, but think about what is actually feasible. Consider implementation, people, and resources.”

Choho noted that people look to the government during uncertain times. “But the government is not a wish-fulfillment factory: we can’t do everything, and not everything at once,” he warned.

The executing agencies had already concluded that they were not well prepared for the future. In their view, an overarching vision is needed that takes into account staff shortages and new technologies. In this edition, the organizations offer five suggestions for how the government could operate in 2035.