PM Rutte says goodbye: Regrets over Groningen earthquake & childcare benefits scandals

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte used his farewell speech to once again express his regret over two major scandals that involved the national government: the handling of natural gas extraction and the damages caused by the resultant earthquakes in Groningen, and the childcare benefits scandal. "A lot went wrong under my watch and I take personal responsibility," the outgoing prime minister said in a speech from the Torentje, his office in The Hague.

But he calls the disaster of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, "perhaps the most drastic and most emotional event of my entire premiership." Rutte became "even more convinced than before" of the need to cooperate in international contexts such as the European Union and NATO.

He will become the secretary general of the military alliance in October. In the early years of his premiership, critics criticised his seemingly laconic attitude towards the European Union. But over time he showed more interest towards the bloc.

Rutte said he finds it "unreal," and he felt "melancholy" about leaving his job as the political leader of the Netherlands after almost fourteen years. He wished his successor, Dick Schoof, "every success" when he takes office on Tuesday.

The speech was broadcast towards the end of Sunday afternoon. He spoke with dismay over the childcare benefits scandal, which left thousands of families in dire financial problems after they were falsely profiled by an algorithm as being likely fraudsters and tax cheats.

The politician said that the conversations with those families who were victimized by the tax office, and his meetings with Groningen residents affected by frequent earthquakes will always remain with him. “And I assure you, that much injustice and sadness really gets under your skin.” Rutte said he finds it "deeply frustrating that things are not going faster" to solve their problems and hopes that this will happen as quickly as possible.

The longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history has lately been thinking back a great deal about the "severe economic crisis" in his early years as political leader. He thinks it is a "small miracle how quickly we climbed out of that deep valley." This was accompanied by "the most drastic reforms and cuts ever."

Among the moments that he remembers most are the apologies he offered in 2020 for the actions of the Dutch government during the Holocaust, and in 2022 for the country's historic ties to slavery. "Those are moments when, as prime minister, you can make a very direct connection by giving recognition."

The coronavirus pandemic has also left a big impression on the prime minister. He said it "inevitably," both he and his Cabinet "made mistakes in the approach" to the pandemic. It could hardly have been otherwise, he added. At the same time, many "good and beautiful" things happened, such as the "unprecedented performance" of healthcare workers.

Rutte repeated his famous statement that he thinks the Netherlands is a "great" country. "I admit, I may have said that one or two too many times. But that's because I mean it, from the bottom of my heart."

The politician considered it an "honor to be your Prime Minister", he concluded his speech. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."