Take care of each other and look to the future: Motto of Rutte IV coalition agreement
"Look after each other and look ahead to the future" is the motto of the new Rutte IV coalition agreement, insiders told RTL Nieuws. The document is about 50 pages long, shorter than the 70-page long Rutte III agreement.
The coalition agreement of the Rutte IV Cabinet, which consists of the same parties as the Rutte III government - VVD, CDA, D66, and ChristenUnie, will officially be presented on Wednesday afternoon, but several plans have already leaked to the press.
The four parties agreed to invest about 3 billion euros into tax relief, aimed mainly at the middle class. The minimum wage will increase significantly. And as that is linked to welfare benefits and state pension, these will increase too.
The Rutte IV government will invest heavily in tackling the climate crisis, the nitrogen crisis, and the housing shortage. They want to make childcare free for most people and abolish the student loan system.
The new government will work on introducing road pricing, also known as the kilometer tax, and building new nuclear power plants. More money will go to the police, justice, and defense, with specific attention to fighting undermining crime.
Additional Ministers will be appointed to the Ministries of Home Affairs, Economic Affairs, Agriculture, and Social Affairs. These Cabinet members will focus on significant problems like housing, climate, and nitrogen.
The coalition agreement is also more pro-European than the Rutte III agreement, sources told RTL. According to them, the agreement states that the Netherlands wants to play a constructive and leading role in Europe.