Cabinet Still Aims for Majority Budget Support, Heinen Says - DutchNews.nl
Finance Minister Eelco Heinen says the cabinet is in the final phase of talks as it seeks backing for budget changes and welfare cuts.
- Finance Minister Eelco Heinen said Friday the cabinet remains confident it can secure broad parliamentary support for its annual budget, now in the "final phase" of negotiations.
- The minority coalition of D66, VVD, and CDA is 10 seats short of a majority in the lower house, leaving it reliant on opposition votes to pass the budget.
- Opposition party PRO, which holds 20 seats, demands the cabinet scrap €6.5 billion in planned social security cuts and raise money through higher taxes on wealth and corporations instead.
- After a Thursday meeting, PRO finance spokesperson Luc Stultiens reported seeing little movement on demands, though Heinen believes the opposition parties are moving closer together.
- The cabinet aims to finalize the budget by Friday, August 28, for Council of State review, while unions plan a national public transport strike on September 9 in protest.
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Dutch PM Jetten seeks budget agreement as opposition demands billions in changes
Rob Jetten said Friday that he wants the full Budget Memorandum to secure broad backing in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament. The prime minister is opposed to parties picking and choosing which individual budgets to support. “Many things are interconnected, and that can quickly create conflicts,” he said.the Jetten I Cabinet, consisting of D66, VVD, and CDA, is a minority government. It completely relies on opposition parties…
By shelving the question of who will partner with whom until after the summer, the cabinet is under pressure if it wants to reach a budget agreement before Budget Day. Nevertheless, optimism is emerging from within the coalition regarding the chances of reaching a deal, at least for a majority in the House of Representatives. For the time being, the cards are stacked in favor of the ‘realistic right’.
Budget consultations: There was no question of negotiating the budget this week. The opposition was mainly allowed to submit wish lists. The cabinet wants…
The intention is for the entire Budget Memorandum to receive broad support in the House of Representatives, Rob Jetten said Friday at his weekly press conference. He therefore wants to avoid ‘cherry-picking’, where parties support one budget but not another. ‘Many things are interconnected, and then you can easily get in each other’s way.’
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