Dutch Disorder? - what will the upcoming Dutch elections mean for Europe?
Dutch politics is in turmoil. After 13 years in power, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and other political leaders in the coalition government are leaving Dutch politics ahead of snap elections on November 22.
The political landscape is fragmented, with new leaders and alliances vying for power. The European Commission’s executive vice-president, Frans Timmermans, has returned home to lead a new left-wing alliance, while novel political parties like the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) and New Social Contract (NSC) fluctuate in the polls, making the election results very unpredictable.
In Brussels, the Netherlands is known for its assertive, but also active positioning on EU policy files. In recent years, the green transition, migration, the EU’s long-term budget and fiscal rules have been among these. Will a new Dutch government retain this role after the elections? Which parties are likely to form a government, and how long will it take? What will be the consequences of the Dutch elections for Europe, and will the elections become a European test case for simmering protests to the pace of Europe’s green transition?
These and other questions will be discussed by Caroline de Gruyter, who is a journalist and lecturer based in Brussels. She is a European Affairs correspondent and columnist for the leading Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, ECFR Council Member and a regular contributor to Foreign Policy, EUobserver and De Standaard. She spent more than twenty years covering Europe, from different corners of the continent.
