D66, VVD, and CDA finalize ministerial lineup in new Dutch cabinet
The coalition of D66, VVD, and CDA has finalized the distribution of ministerial posts in the new Dutch cabinet. The Jetten I Cabinet will have 28 members: 18 Ministers and 10 State Secretaries. As the largest party, the D66 is set to have seven Ministers, the VVD six, and the CDA five, NOS reports.
D66 will hold the prime ministership, with Rob Jetten expected to become minister-president, and ministries for Education, Agriculture, Social Affairs, Housing, Climate, and Foreign Trade. VVD ministers will oversee Justice, Finance, Defense, Infrastructure, Health, and Labor, while CDA will take charge of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Economic Affairs, Long-term Care, and Asylum.
CDA leader Henri Bontenbal said there was little debate over the distribution. “There are no hard negotiations about this,” he said Thursday morning as talks resumed. “We have, of course, looked at what each party needs, what the others want, and what we want, and it just has to fit. I think we have arrived at a good division that everyone is happy with.”
The selection of ministries follows an alternating order. D66’s Rob Jetten will become prime minister first, after which VVD, as the second-largest coalition party, will select the ministries it will control. VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz‑Zegerius has confirmed that Eelco Heinen will continue as Finance Minister. It remains unclear which ministry, if any, Yeşilgöz‑Zegerius herself will take. CDA, third in the rotation, opted for Foreign Affairs instead of Social Affairs.
Several ministries will have associated state secretaries, as confirmed in Dutch reporting. For example, the Ministry of Justice and Security will have a D66 state secretary responsible for legal protection and the prison system, the Ministry of Finance will have a D66 state secretary and a party‑neutral state secretary for the recovery of benefits, and the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth will have a CDA state secretary. Each coalition party will also have three additional state secretaries, with one extra party‑neutral secretary.
“Several large challenges lie ahead that take so much time from a minister that other matters can be delayed,” Jetten said publicly. “If a department has multiple ministers, we need to divide the workload properly to ensure all issues are addressed.”
The cabinet is scheduled to be officially presented on February 23, following final security checks by the AIVD, which have delayed confirmation of individual appointments. Party leaders have indicated there will be no creation of new ministries. Jetten stated, “We have seen a proliferation of ministries in recent years, and the government has not necessarily become better because of it. We will not do that.” Yeşilgöz‑Zegerius added, “There will not be any major, fundamental changes.”
While the party-to-ministry allocation is now clear, the individual ministerial appointments beyond Heinen have not yet been publicly confirmed. Jetten said all three parties are “very far along with the final selection of individuals.” Bontenbal has contacted potential CDA ministers and expects to announce names next week.
