Eerste Kamer budget debate shows unusual PRO and VVD cooperation
During a marathon budget debate in the senate, the D66, VVD and CDA government saw it will have to work for support, while the parties PRO and VVD found common ground.
The government of the parties D66, VVD and CDA is counting on cooperation from the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch senate. A marathon debate on the budget showed that winning it over will not be automatic.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten learned during the debate that it will be hard work in the senate too, just as it is in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house.
An unusual pairing
There was one notable bright spot for those who like political cooperation. In the Eerste Kamer, the parties PRO and VVD are working together in a way that appears to be taboo in the Tweede Kamer.
The opposition party JA21 noticed it too. It observes a "bromance" between the VVD and PRO.
Eerste Kamer
The Eerste Kamer (First Chamber) is the upper house of the Dutch parliament. While the Tweede Kamer (lower house) proposes and debates laws, the Eerste Kamer can reject or approve them, though it cannot amend bills. It consists of 75 members elected by provincial councils, making it more geographically representative and typically more conservative than the directly-elected lower house.
JA21
JA21 (Juiste Antwoord 2021) is a Dutch right-liberal political party founded in 2021 by former VVD members. It positions itself as fiscally conservative and critical of the European Union, focusing on Dutch national interests, limited government spending, and constitutional governance.