AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – After months of tense negotiations, Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders and his coalition partners have struck a deal to form a right-wing government. Here is an overview of their main plans:
IMMIGRATION
The coalition aims to have the strictest admittance policy for asylum seekers among EU countries and says it will request an opt out of common EU rules for migration.
Border controls will be intensified, admittance procedures will be shorter and stricter, while foreigners who have already been denied asylum in another EU country will be sent away immediately.
Family reunifications will be limited, and refugees and asylum seekers will no longer be prioritised for housing. Facilities for immigrants will be made more basic.
Within the EU, the government will strive for stricter outside border controls and deals with non-EU countries to take in migrants.
Labour migration will be curbed, as well as the flow of foreign students to Dutch universities.
Workers from outside the EU who do not have specific knowledge or expertise will need a work permit and recruiting agencies will face stricter regulation, while knowledge workers will have to meet higher standards.
The Dutch will also strive to limit free movement for people from countries joining the EU in the future.
ENERGY
The government will aim to expand offshore natural gas extraction and nuclear energy production as part of plans to reduce the Netherlands’ dependence on “unreliable countries”.
The government will stick to internationally agreed climate goals, but will not add any national restrictions on top of them.
Plans under the previous government for an additional national carbon emissions tax for industry will be scrapped.
AGRICULTURE/ENVIRONMENT
Farmers will not be forced to reduce the large amount of livestock in the Netherlands, which was meant to cut back nitrogen oxide emissions, and farmers near nature reserves will not be forced to close businesses to meet environmental goals.
The coalition will strive to ease EU environmental regulations for farmers, while domestic regulations will not be made stricter than EU laws prescribe.
Diesel for farmers will become cheaper.
The maximum speed on highways will be increased to 130 kph (80 mph) after being to reduced to 100 kph nationwide in 2020 in an effort to reduce nitrogen pollution.
TAXES/SPENDING CUTS
Energy and income taxes will be lowered, while levies on share buybacks by listed companies and on banks announced late last year will likely be scrapped.
A mandatory user contribution for healthcare procedures will be halved by 2027, and childcare subsidies will be increased in the coming years. Day care will be made nearly free.
Plans will be financed with around 14 billion euros in spending cuts through 2028, including a billion euros through a freeze of government salaries and 100 million on the public broadcaster’s budget.
Unemployment welfare would be limited to 18 months.
INTERNATIONAL STANCE
Political and military support to Ukraine will be sustained and the coalition will make it legally binding to spend at least 2% of Dutch gross domestic product on defence, in line with NATO agreements.
Spending on foreign development aid will be cut by 2.4 bln euros.
EU enlargement will not be supported unless countries fulfil all the relevant criteria.
The government will aim to move the Dutch embassy in Israel to Jerusalem at an appropriate time.
WHAT’S NEXT
Parliament is expected to debate the government plans on May 22, after which an independent intermediary will be tasked with forming the cabinet of ministers, a process that is expected to take weeks.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Anthony Deutsch and Frances Kerry)
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