MPs from all four parties who have agreed to form a right-wing government voted in favour of the draft coalition plans on Wednesday evening, but there is still no confirmation of who will be prime minister.

All four parliamentary groupings – PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB – voted unanimously to accept the agreement, although there was unease among some MPs about forming an alliance with the far-right PVV.

In addition, both immigration minister Eric van der Burg (VVD), and nitrogen and nature chief Christianne van der Wal (VVD) said publicly they are sorry that work they have put in for the outgoing cabinet will now be scrapped.

The new government is set to repeal legislation to ensure refugees are spread fairly around the country, which Van der Burg battled to get accepted and was only recently passed in the senate. 

Furthermore, the outgoing government’s strategy for dealing with the problem of nitrogen-based pollution, which helped drive the growth of new coalition party BBB, is being overturned.

“It was absolutely an emotional meeting,” party leader Dilan Yesilgöz said after the  24 VVD MPs agreed to back the deal. “And [the agreement] includes issues which impact on party members or which they disagree with.”

The VVD was the last party to make its support for the coalition document public, ssome 30 minutes before the midnight deadline. 

The 25-page coalition plan, which highlights broad strategy but not detail, will be formally presented on Thursday but some of the measures the new cabinet plans to implement have already leaked out.

The maximum speed on motorways will go back up to 130 kph. It was cut earlier to reduce nitrogen emissions.

The own-risk element in healthcare, currently €385 a year, will be halved in 2027, the earliest date at which the cut can be implemented. Spending on the public broadcasting system NPO will also be cut by €100 million.

Foreign workers

The new government has also pledged to get tough on all forms of migration, and that will also include cuts in the number of people coming to the Netherlands to work. However, the four parties have also pledged to act in line with international treaties. 

Formal childcare will become much cheaper, RTL Nieuws reported, and value-added tax on hotel stays will be put back up to 21%. It was cut during the coronavirus epidemic to help support the travel industry.  

According to Nu.nl, work will also begin on setting up a constitutional court, one of the key demands made by NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt.

MInisters

Now an agreement has been reached, work will start on putting together a team of ministers, of which around half are expected to be independent of any party.  The four parties agreed earlier they would form an “extra-parliamentary” or “business” cabinet and it will be up to ministers to flesh out how they intend to implement the new coalition strategy.

All four leaders also agreed to stay in the lower house of parliament because Wilders, despite leading the biggest party in parliament, could not count on sufficient support from within the coalition to become prime minister as is customary.

He is thought to have put forward former MP Ronald Plasterk, who kicked off the negotiations after the November election, for the job but said on Wednesday that discussion will take place later.

Insiders say it will still take several weeks before the new ministerial team will pose for the traditional photograph with the king.