By the end of 2026, it should finally be clear: have the cabinet and the House of Representatives acted properly in their approach to the corona pandemic? The parliamentary inquiry into corona policy will continue in an adapted form, it became apparent on Wednesday afternoon during the presentation of the official research proposal. Public hearings will begin at the end of 2025. It will be one of the longest surveys in Dutch history and will cost more than 7.5 million euros.
“Corona had an impact on all of us,” said committee chairman Daan de Kort (VVD) at the presentation. “The measures went against fundamental rights, against our way of life. That is why it is good that we are going to do this research.”
The emphasis is on the decision-making of the Cabinet, the House of Representatives and the role and independence of advisors such as the Outbreak Management Team, RIVM and the planning agencies. Dealing with corona skeptics and restricting fundamental rights are also being investigated.
De Kort not only hopes that politicians can “learn lessons” from the research, but also that it can partly restore “the connection” to society. “Corona caused a lot of discussion within families and groups of friends.”
Code of conduct
The committee consists of members from six parties (PVV, VVD, GroenLinks-PvdA, NSC, BBB and Forum for Democracy). The other parties said they do not have enough time because they have fewer MPs after the elections in November. The committee members are relatively inexperienced; Chairman De Kort has been in the House for three years.
A notable name in the committee is that of corona-skeptical MP Pepijn van Houwelingen (FVD), who is very critical of the freedom restrictions imposed by the cabinet during the pandemic. After the House of Representatives elections, Van Houwelingen was too low on the list for one of the three FVD parliamentary seats, but since January he has replaced his party colleague Freek Jansen for six months, especially for the survey.
The committee has agreed on a special code of conduct. It states, among other things, that committee members do not speak about corona in parliamentary debates and refrain from making statements about corona on (social) media. These agreements seem mainly intended for FVD member Van Houwelingen, but De Kort called them “working agreements” that apply to all members. “In such a committee you have to decolorize politics a bit. Regardless of your opinion about the virus, we can thoroughly investigate decision-making about corona. We must be neutral and curious.”
It is also striking that the members commit themselves to the committee for the entire period – which would mean that Van Houwelingen will stay and not leave the House again in July.
A lot of hassle
At the end of 2021, the House of Representatives unanimously approved a survey. A temporary preparatory committee got to work and came up with a proposal in May last year. But then the support appeared to have disappeared. Only the PVV, FVD, Wybren van Haga, JA21, Pieter Omtzigt and Liane den Haan wanted to delegate MPs. The other factions waited or did not want to.
The formal reason given was that the third – and final – report of the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) on the government’s corona approach had to be awaited (which has now been presented).
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There was much more going on informally. There has been fuss ever since the preparatory committee started its work. The parties appeared to disagree about which topics should be investigated and found the investigation too extensive. Some parties feared that the investigation would result in a settlement with the cabinet and demanded major adjustments. The presence of corona-sceptic MPs such as Van Houwelingen and Wybren van Haga also raised questions. In December last year, the House of Representatives called for “limited changes/reductions to the research proposal” in a motion (by PVV leader Wilders).
In that amended proposal, the duration of the survey was shortened from 34 to 32 months and research themes were deleted. For example, communication is no longer examined – the much-watched press conferences, for example – because the OVV, among others, has already conducted research into this. De Kort: “The fat comes from the bones.”
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