After a formation period fraught with hiccups and controversy that lasted more than seven months, a new Dutch cabinet was finally sworn in by the King on July 2nd. Leading the cabinet is the new Prime Minister Dick Schoof, a previously largely unknown civil servant with no political experience. Schoof was chosen for his lack of political affiliation, expected to neutrally carry out the very loose agreement that the four coalition parties have managed to agree on. These unprecedented conditions—a vague coalition agreement and an unknown PM with no political experience—make for an unconvincing start to Schoof’s term. Additionally, the loose agreement on which his mandate rests means that the cabinet’s exact policy plans have yet to be specified. Can the new cabinet convincingly formulate its plans before the electorate loses confidence in the shaky four-party construction?
Inexperienced Cabinet Faces a Rough Start
After a tumultuous formation period concluded on May 16th, controversy surrounding the new Dutch cabinet persisted. The four coalition-forming parties—PVV, BBB, VVD, and NSC, ideologically ranging from far-right to centre-right—agreed that each of their party leaders would remain in parliament as MPs. It is broadly suspected that NSC made this a prerequisite for joining the coalition due to concerns about PVV’s Geert Wilders becoming Prime Minister. Wilders has made controversial statements in the past, often deemed unconstitutional.
With the four party leaders remaining in parliament, no natural leader for the new coalition emerged. After much speculation, the coalition parties settled on Dick Schoof, a largely unknown civil servant with no political experience who previously served as the head of the National Coordinator for Terrorism and Safety. Schoof, who had been a member of the Social Democratic party in the past, was a surprising choice, especially considering his predecessor, Mark Rutte, was the longest-serving Prime Minister in Dutch history and was widely praised for his in-depth knowledge of the mores and functioning of Dutch politics.
Following the announcement of Schoof as PM, other cabinet positions began to be filled, but this too was challenging. One appointee failed a background check by the Intelligence Service over possible espionage activities for Israel. Another appointee, who eventually did become a minister, had used the term ‘omvolking’ (German: ‘Omvolkung’) in debates about migration, a term widely used within Nazi propaganda. This controversy led to an unprecedentedly tough debate on the cabinet’s first day. Schoof and his team were off to a rough start to say the least.
Prinsjesdag: Two Daunting Tasks with the Same Deadline
The new Dutch cabinet has ambitious plans and will need to work overtime to deliver on its promises. Despite being restrained by international treaties, it has promised the ‘toughest asylum policy ever’. It also proposes to reduce the number of civil servants to cut costs while at the same time establishing two new Ministries, a notoriously expensive endeavour. Many of the cabinet’s plans have therefore been dismissed as ‘wishful thinking’.
The cabinet’s plans have also not been fully detailed yet. The four coalition parties have only agreed on policy along broad lines in a so-called Hoofdlijnenakkoord (Agreement Along Broad Lines). This agreement is a new invention by the four parties, born from their critique of the often very detailed coalition agreements of the past that left no room for parliament to influence policy.
Realising that general exclamations of certain ambitions are not enough, Prime Minister Schoof has put forward the ambition to deliver a ‘Government Programme’—a more detailed plan on how certain policies will help deliver on the cabinet’s promises. Such a Government Programme has not been used since 1973, marking another deviation from recent predecessors in hopes of shaking up the status quo of Dutch national governance.
The deadline for this Government Programme is September 17th, coinciding with Prinsjesdag (Princes’ Day), when the King reads his speech from the throne and the government presents the National Budget. Thus, the cabinet faces a double deadline, with both its Government Programme and National Budget, two enormously important and extensive policy documents, needing to be presented in a mere two months’ time.
Internal Turmoil: Can a Common Vision Be Achieved?
An already uncertain coalition has tasked itself with delivering two key documents detailing how the government plans to achieve its goals and how it will finance them. With only two months remaining until Princes’ Day, it remains to be seen whether the coalition can meet these ambitious deadlines. Internal turmoil within the coalition and among the coalition parties in parliament is already visible, with some saying the ‘first cracks’ are starting to show. NSC, for instance, has publicly opposed the cabinet’s plan to raise the VAT on books to 21%, despite being part of the coalition and initially having agreed on the plan. This raises the question of whether a common vision can be successfully detailed in the Government Programme. It also raises the question of whether a budget can be devised that convinces the electorate that the cabinet’s plans are achievable with the more limited financial means it has available compared to its predecessor. If not, this cabinet’s new experiment in governance may fail almost as soon as it begins.
Facing Practical Realities
As the new Dutch cabinet starts to settle in, several practical challenges and realities will come to light. Many new ministers will undertake work visits this summer, during which they will likely face pressure to maintain continuity with the previous cabinet’s initiatives. Additionally, drafting the new Government Programme will serve as a reality check for the new cabinet's promises. For instance, the cabinet’s intention to raise the maximum speed limit will almost certainly hit a deadlock, given that there are few places in the Netherlands where such an increase would comply with legal frameworks—a challenge that applies to several other coalition promises as well. Furthermore, not all proposed measures will secure a majority in parliament, meaning that any deviations from the proposed plans will require financial compensation through cuts elsewhere, leading to significant trade-offs. Yet perhaps the most pressing challenge will be the empty treasury, leaving no funds for ambitious new plans. All things considered, the outcome might be a more conventional budget and Government Programme than the new coalition had initially promised.
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