Jetten officially appointed to form Cabinet; Survives critical coalition debate
Despite a lot of criticism, the D66, VVD, and CDA’s coalition agreement survived the parliamentary debate on the upcoming government’s plans. At the end of the debate, the Tweede Kamer appointed D66 leader Rob Jetten to select Ministers and State Secretaries for the upcoming Cabinet.
Sources close to the formation table told RTL Nieuws that the new coalition parties have had several behind-the-scenes discussions about which party will get which Ministry. According to the broadcaster’s insiders, the D66, VVD, and CDA have reached almost complete agreement and expect to finalize it today.
Then the parties will select people to fill the Ministerial positions. ANP reported that VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz is pushing to have Eelco Heinen, currently the caretaker Finance Minister in the collapsed Schoof I Cabinet, reprise the role in the upcoming Cabinet. If all goes smoothly, the King should swear in the new Ministers and State Secretaries on February 23.
The new Cabinet members will have their work cut out for them, convincing the opposition in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, to support their plans. The coalition holds only 66 of the 150 seats in the Kamer, meaning that they will need the support of at least 10 opposition MPs to get any of their plans approved.
And last night’s debate showed that the opposition parties have their reservations about the new government’s plans. There were several futile attempts to immediately scrap plans, including the increase in the state pension age, the increase in the healthcare deductible to €460, and shortening unemployment benefits from two years to one, NOS reports. The atmosphere was frequently harsh and hostile. ChristenUnie called the plans “bleak.” SP warned that they would lead to mass protests on the Malieveld.
GroenLinks-PvdA leader Jesse Klaver, who holds a powerful position with 20 seats in the Kamer, accused the coalition of undermining the pension agreement made with employers and employees in 2019 by increasing the state pension age. He called it a “false start for this coalition.” Jetten insisted that “new steps are needed” to keep pensions affordable in the long term as people live longer and longer. Klaver warned that this Cabinet could also be short-lived if the coalition parties don’t listen more attentively to the opposition’s concerns.
CDA leader Henri Bontenbal defended the planned increase in the healthcare deductible, an annual amount that Netherlands residents pay before medical treatment. He called this “an unpleasant measure,” but a needed one to continue ensuring good healthcare with the aging population. “If you do nothing now, you are being irresponsible, and we don’t want that,” he said.
VVD leader Yeşilgöz defended the “freedom contribution,” a tax increase with which the parties want to help fund higher defense spending. According to her, the tax hike won’t only affect middle-income earners, who will be compensated by almost free childcare. The mortgage interest deduction will also remain, she said.
The opposition parties agreed that they would not sign the financial substantiation of the coalition agreement. This essentially means that they think adjusting the plans can cost extra money, or that the three coalition parties will have to allocate the money elsewhere. This will be haggled out in future debates.
