Press
In the Netherlands, Dick Schoof’s government is taking office – its course is likely to become more critical of the EU.
The Hague – More than seven months after the parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, the new right-wing government has started work. King Willem-Alexander swore in former intelligence chief Dick Schoof as prime minister. The 67-year-old, who succeeds long-time head of government Mark Rutte, wants to implement, among other things, the “toughest” asylum policy ever and the “most comprehensive package to deal with migration”.
At the ceremony in the Royal Palace in The Hague, non-partisan Schoof introduced his ministers to Willem-Alexander, who stepped forward one by one to swear allegiance to the king and the constitution. “I am very much looking forward to starting my work as prime minister,” said Schoof: “For a safe and fair Netherlands with social security for all.” His tasks are “dealing with migration, dialogue, making decisions, being clear about it. You can rely on me.”
PVV around right-wing populist Wilders won Dutch election
Geert Wilders’ right-wing populist PVV won the parliamentary election in November. Wilders actually wanted to become head of government himself, but his anti-Islam and anti-European stance made it difficult to form a coalition. In mid-March, Wilders finally announced that he would resign from the office of prime minister. The PVV, the farmers’ party BBB, the liberal VVD and the new anti-corruption party NSC then agreed to work together.
Schoof, who was formerly a member of the social democratic Labour Party, had announced that he would be a prime minister “for all Dutch people”. He is non-partisan and does not see himself “on the leash of Mr Wilders”. According to an Ipsos poll published yesterday, the Dutch people’s trust in their government rose to 42 percent – in September 2022 it was only 29 percent.
Difficult coalition formation in the Netherlands
The new head of government will have to work hard to keep “the ideological and personal conflicts” within the coalition under control, said political scientist Sarah de Lange of the University of Amsterdam. She referred to his “extensive experience at the top of government agencies.”
Security expert Schoof has played a key role in crisis situations in his country. For example, he led the Dutch investigation into the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, which killed 298 people. The majority of the passengers on the plane, which was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, were Dutch.
Like Schoof, however, most of the other cabinet members have little government experience. The EU Commission in Brussels – as well as in Berlin, Paris and other capitals – is also watching with suspicion what consequences the strong shift to the right in The Hague will have for Europe. Until now, the country had been one of the EU’s strongest pillars. Now there are fears, among other things, that the Netherlands could opt out of the EU asylum pact, which, in addition to asylum procedures at the Union’s external borders, provides for a more even distribution of migrants among the member states.
Differences with other EU members are also emerging regarding climate policy, particularly in the implementation of the “Green Deal”. The BBB, which relies on the support of farmers, is calling for significant relaxation of environmental regulations.
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