Sjoerd Sjoerdsma’s budget can count on a majority in the Senate. After Independent Politics Netherlands (OPNL), 50Plus also supports the plans of the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (D66). This is what party leader Jan Struijs said on Thursday NRC let us know.
Sjoerdsma did not yet have a majority for the budget for the current year 2026. Without that support, he would get into trouble: if the Senate rejects the budget, the minister can in principle not spend any money. Moreover, time was running out, because next week the Senate will discuss the budget.
Even with the support of PRO and the coalition, Sjoerdsma fell two seats short in the Senate
Last week, Sjoerdsma took the first hurdle by reaching an agreement with the opposition party PRO. In exchange for its support, an additional EUR 380 million will be invested in development cooperation in 2026. To make this possible, the minister brought forward money from later years and other budget items.
Even with the support of PRO and the coalition, Sjoerdsma fell two seats short in the Senate. Senator Auke van der Goot of OPNL said on Wednesday that he “wholeheartedly” supports the budget, without any additional requirements. Van der Groot believes the extra money for 2026 is desirable. And what does he think about less money being available in later years? “Whoever lives, whoever cares.”
Also read
Cabinet closes deal with Progressive Netherlands on extra money for development cooperation, budget seems to be saved
‘So many hot spots’
50Plus party leader and faction chairman in the House of Representatives Jan Struijs, whose party has one seat in the Senate, says on Thursday morning NRC to support the budget. “It is our moral duty to help vulnerable people, especially now that there are so many hot spots in the world.”
In exchange for that vote, 50Plus does not require any favors in return. “I have assessed the content of the plans,” says the group leader. “I wasn’t in the game of: hey, I’m going to support, but will I get something else?”
During the week, uncertainty arose about the agreements with PRO. The most important issue: does development cooperation get now? extra money, as PRO claims, or not? In parliamentary documents, which were sent on Thursday morning, Sjoerdsma provides clarification: the extra 380 million will be fully financed by bringing forward resources that were already intended for development cooperation.
According to the documents, 178 million of the 380 million euros comes from the Finance budget. Only: that money had already been reserved for non-military support to Ukraine. According to the official definitions, this support falls under development cooperation. The shift is therefore mainly an administrative intervention, which makes it possible to spend the money earlier.
Return hubs
PRO assumed that part of the gap this creates in the reserved Ukraine Finance post would later be filled with money that is not development money. Partly because of this cabinet’s promise to support Ukraine ‘unabatedly’. In that case, additional money would ultimately become available for development cooperation.
Sjoerdsma said last week that he would not solve that problem now, but only when drawing up the budget for 2028. Deputy Prime Minister Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD), in turn, suggested at the press conference on Friday that the money in 2028 must ultimately come from Sjoerdsma.
The VVD hoped that part of the additional investments for 2026 would be spent on return hubs
PRO wanted guarantees that the development cooperation budget would be left alone for the gap, but this was not reflected in Sjoerdsma’s letters. The minister suggests in the documents that the gap does not need to be filled further. This would mean that at the bottom line there would be no extra money for development cooperation.
According to Sjoerdsma, “the total of resources reserved for Ukraine support” will remain the same throughout the entire cabinet period. After all, money has only been moved around. That money is still being spent on the same purpose, just earlier in time. He sees the budgets “in line with the government’s commitment to continued support for Ukraine.”
Point of contention
Progressive Netherlands continues to support the budget. “As far as we are concerned, it is inconceivable that a decision would not be made in 2028 not to supplement, if you look at the immense suffering of the population and the continued Russian aggression.” The party cannot imagine that this would be done with development cooperation resources.
Another point of contention: the VVD hoped that part of the additional investments for 2026 would be spent on return hubs. This concerns reception centers outside the EU, where rejected asylum seekers have to wait for return to their country of origin. According to Sjoerdsma, this is not yet possible, because there are no return hubs yet.
The House of Representatives will debate the budget on Thursday evening. The debate is scheduled for early next week in the Senate.
Also read
The way in which Sjoerdsma tried to achieve a majority was very messy. Will the Senate still agree to his budget?
