Dutch Cabinet relents, will hand over COVID-era chats to inquiry panel
The Dutch government will release chat messages sent by ministers and civil servants during the COVID-19 pandemic to the parliamentary inquiry committee investigating the country's coronavirus response. The decision follows a ruling from the Council of State, after the Cabinet had previously refused to provide private app messages, NOS reports.
Daan de Kort, VVD member of the Tweede Kamer and chair of the inquiry committee, confirmed the development to Nieuwsuur on Friday. “We had a difference of opinion with the Cabinet about receiving all chat traffic,” De Kort said. “They took the issue to the Council of State. Ultimately, we were able to make solid agreements. We have already received the vast majority of the chats.”
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the chats will be transferred to the committee. According to De Kort, the content is essential for the investigation: “At that time, a lot of people were working from home, so much communication took place via chat. These messages can help our investigation in drawing lessons for the future.”
The inquiry, which is the Tweede Kamer’s most serious form of investigation, legally obliges all parties to cooperate. The committee has already demanded millions of documents from ministries, including classified materials.
On Monday, May 26, the committee will begin closed-door preliminary interviews with dozens of key figures from the pandemic period. The hearings are expected to include former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, former Health Minister Hugo de Jonge, and former RIVM director Jaap van Dissel. Public hearings, in which participants will testify under oath, are scheduled to begin in the first half of 2026.
The committee now includes five members: chairman Daan de Kort (VVD), Peter Smitskam (PVV), Anita Pijpelink (GroenLinks-PvdA), Sander van Waveren (NSC), and, as of this week, Gideon van Meijeren of Forum voor Democratie. Van Meijeren’s party has consistently characterized COVID-19 as a relatively mild flu and opposed all coronavirus restrictions.
“It’s important that those responsible are held accountable and that the truth comes to light,” Van Meijeren told Nieuwsuur. In 2021, FvD lawmaker Pepijn van Houwelingen declared that “tribunals are coming” for politicians who implemented COVID regulations. Van Meijeren now says he still supports tribunals—if it turns out criminal acts were committed. “But there is currently no indication of that,” he added. “We will have to wait and see how things develop.”
Commenting on Van Meijeren’s earlier statements, De Kort said that committee members now have “a different role, task, and responsibility.” He added, “We’ve made good agreements about that. I trust that Van Meijeren will fulfill this role properly on behalf of the entire Tweede Kamer.”
