After two weeks, the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB resumed joint talks today about the formation of a new cabinet. It will be a crucial week in which the parties must agree on an outline agreement. “The pressure has been deliberately increased, now the party leaders have to make choices and make decisions,” says political reporter Fons Lambie. “Finances in particular are seen as the most difficult stumbling block.”
So if this week goes well, an outline agreement should be reached by May 15, after which a cabinet will be formed that will develop that agreement into a government program.
Plan calculations
If, if if, because then an agreement must be reached this week. It will therefore be ‘crucial’, say informants Richard van Zwol and Elbert Dijkgraaf.
Over the past two weeks, the Central Planning Bureau (CPB) has calculated the plans of the forming parties. These are measures that have been devised and discussed in recent weeks by the party leaders and their seconds, under the leadership of the informants.
Make a decision
The CPB calculations were ready last Friday. And so in this ‘final week’ decisions have to be made and compromises have to be made.
Because after May 15, the informants will no longer be available, as they said earlier:
Informant Van Zwol expects the necessary ‘discussions’ between the negotiating parties this week. According to him, these parties must partly ‘exchange’ proposals, but they must also look for ‘coherence’ in the agreement.
Van Zwol said two weeks ago that he was confident that they would find a solution. However, he pointed out that there are still “a few major issues” that still need to be finalized. “Whether that concerns housing construction, the future of agriculture, the agricultural sector.”
Informant Dijkgraaf pointed out that trust between negotiators had grown in recent weeks. “Without saying that it is all 100 percent. But you do notice that they understand each other better how they are involved in the whole story.”
According to party leaders, this relative peace in recent weeks does not mean that nothing happened during that period. Work continued as usual and there was also mutual contact.
Wilders’ speech
In addition, the party leaders also had their own obligations last week. For example, PVV leader Geert Wilders spoke at a meeting of right-wing conservative parties in Hungary. That speech was awaited with great interest. It was taken into account that Wilders would make strong statements that might further complicate the formation.
But Wilders said nothing during that speech that could further endanger the formation. He underlined that he is aware of his responsibility as the largest party in the Netherlands, and expressed the hope that the formation would succeed.
‘Consciously increased pressure’
“Both informants have very consciously increased the pressure: now the political leaders have to make real decisions, real compromises. The most difficult points are the financial agreements. How many financial wishes can be fulfilled? And migration is also sensitive: how strict will the new migration policy be? These will be exciting days,” says political reporter Fons Lambie.
“Based on the election results and expressed coalition preferences, an agreement between these right-wing parties should be possible. But behind the scenes you continue to hear doubts. Mutual relationships remain fragile. Is Wilders willing? Will the entire NSC faction remain on board? Everything will come together Now on to the formation final.”
Everything about the cabinet formation
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