Fourth Balkenende cabinet
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The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the current Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Labour Party (PvdA), and ChristianUnion (CU). The cabinet succeeded the third Balkenende cabinet and was installed by Queen Beatrix on February 22, 2007. It was named Balkenende IV after Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. The cabinet is scheduled to be in office until 2011.
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[edit] Formation
The coalition cabinet Balkenende II collapsed on June 29, 2006 after the political party Democrats 66 (D66) withdrew their support for the coalition. The political parties Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) formed the minority cabinet Balkenende III, which was installed on July 7, 2006, and early general elections were held on November 22, 2006. After the elections the Christian Democratic Appeal remained the largest party, while the Socialist Party (SP), the Party for Freedom (PVV), the ChristianUnion (CU), and the Party for the Animals (PvdD) gained seats in the new Tweede Kamer.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands appointed Rein Jan Hoekstra as informateur. He explored the possibilities for the different three party coalitions, since no two parties could form a majority in the Tweede Kamer together. This resulted in a coalition of the Christian Democratic Appeal, the Labour Party (PvdA), and the ChristianUnion. Together these three parties will have a majority of 79 seats out of 150 seats in the Tweede Kamer. In the second information round Herman Wijffels was the informateur to negotiate between the Jan Peter Balkenende (CDA), Wouter Bos (PvdA), and André Rouvoet (CU) to reach a coalition agreement. The motto of the agreement they reached on February 7, 2007 was "Living together, working together".
The appointment of Jan Peter Balkenende as formateur by the queen on February 9, 2007 was the start of the cabinet formation.[1] Four days later on February 13 a preliminary composition of the cabinet was announced.[2]
On February 22 the cabinet members were sworn in by Queen Beatrix.
[edit] Composition
The cabinet consists of 16 ministers and 11 junior ministers (staatssecretaris). These positions are divided among the coalition members according to their size in parliament: CDA supplies 8 ministers and 4 junior ministers, PvdA 6 ministers and 6 junior ministers, and ChristianUnion supplies 2 ministers and 1 junior minister.
[edit] Policy
The coalition agreement titled "Living together, working together" was presented on February 7 in a press conference by Balkenende, Bos, Rouvoet. It is structured into six commitments of the new cabinet.[3][4] If a proposal was included in a party's electoral manifesto, this is mentioned as well:
- An active and constructive role in the world, which is characterized by these policies:
- Continued investments into the Joint Strike Fighter (as the CDA proposed).
- The new cabinet is not in favour of a new referendum on the European Constitution, which was voted down in 2005, but will consider new initiatives (both the CDA and CU opposed the referendum initially).
- An innovative, competitive and enterpreneurial economy, which is characterized by these policies:
- 1 billion increased spending on education (as all parties proposed).
- Privatization of Schiphol airport is shelved (as the CU and the PvdA proposed).
- A durable environment, which is characterized by these policies:
- 800 million euros additional spending on renewable energy (as both the PvdA and the CU proposed).
- Pollution will be taxed more heavily (as both the PvdA and the CU proposed).
- A tax on airline tickets totalling 350 million euros (as all parties proposed).
- No new investments in nuclear energy (as the CU and the PvdA proposed).
- Social cohesion, which is characterized by these policies:
- A reform of the system of basic state pensions: people who have private pensions of 15,000 euros and higher and who stop working before the age of 65 will pay an additional tax as of 2011. People who work beyond 65 receive tax breaks. This measure should guarantee an affordable basic state pension (AOW) despite trends in population ageing (a compromise between the PvdA, which wanted to tax all rich elderly and the CDA which wanted incentives to make people work longer).
- Public social housing will not be liberalised, rent rates may be raised only in line with inflation (as the PvdA proposed).
- The tax deduction on mortgage interest payments remains unchanged (as the CDA proposed).
- Investments in problem areas in the large cities to make them "beautiful neighbourhoods" (as the PvdA proposed).
- Re-implementation of the subsidized jobs-scheme for the unemployed (as the PvdA proposed).
- Childcare spending totalling 700 million euros (free child care was a PvdA election promise and opposed by CDA).
- Safety, stability and respect, which is characterized by these policies:
- Government and a servile public sector[5]
- In response to opposition to extravagant wages earned by some top civil servants and top level managers of quangos, sometimes 5 times that of the prime minister, no one will be allowed an income greater than the prime minister's. In order to accomplish this, the prime minister's salary will be increased.
- Cutting the number of civil servants to save 750 million euros.
- Women seeking an abortion are to expect an additional waiting period between first consultation and actual procedure on top of the already mandatory 5 days waiting period (as the CU proposed).
- Minor reforms of the health care-system, including the abolishment of the no claim and the re-inclusion of dental care into the basic insurance.
- Increased taxation on cigarettes and liquor, smoke-free bars and restaurants by 2011.
- A general pardon for asylum seekers who entered the Netherlands before the new Asylum Law came into effect (as both the CU and the PvdA proposed).
- The coalition wants to have a budget surplus of 1% of the GDP by 2011 with a projected 2% annual economic growth (as all parties proposed).
[edit] Criticism
In March 2008 the National Ombudsman published a critical report on the dealing of the government with the population. The report provided arguments that the government is partially responsible for the declining tolerance in Dutch society. In an interview on the 21 of March 2008, Balkenende responded that he did not recognise his government in this report and judged the report with the Dutch expression to be ‘een zwart-wit verhaal’ (lit: black and white argument; meaning a false dilemma).
[edit] References
- ^ (Dutch) "Balkenende benoemd tot formateur", NOS.nl, February 9, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
- ^ (Dutch) "Kabinet Balkenende 4 rond", nu.nl, 2007-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
- ^ (Dutch) Coalitieakkoord tussen de Tweede Kamerfracties van CDA, PvdA en ChristenUnie (pdf). NOS News (February 7, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-07.
- ^ (Dutch) "Coalition agreement summary", NOS News, February 7, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-02-07.
- ^ Overheid en dienstbare publieke sector
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