It was previously barely discussed in the House of Representatives, but after the Russian invasion of Ukraine it suddenly seems possible: even more spending on defense, a more lenient refugee policy, a different approach in the own fiscal regime to make hiding Russian oligarch wealth more difficult. to make.
The House of Representatives debated Ukraine on Monday, and party after party expressed their astonishment at the invasion with new plans, designed to make things as difficult as possible for Russian President Putin.
“After last Thursday, the unthinkable has become imaginable and the impossible has become possible,” said Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) at the start of the debate. “And this new reality forces us to take a stand, as a politician, as a country and for the entire free world.” The tables were drummed, even among parties that do not participate in the cabinet. There was a hectic atmosphere around the debate: Rutte and the ministers Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs, CDA) and Kajsa Ollongren (Defense, D66) were always called away for consultation or for telephone calls. The news about the war violence in Ukraine almost rolled into the plenary hall live.
There was broad support for the arms supplies and the humanitarian support of the Rutte IV cabinet to Ukraine and the refugees. But the House of Representatives wants more. According to a large number of parties, the Netherlands can no longer accept that the many letterbox companies on the Amsterdam Zuidas are a popular escape route for Russian oligarchs who want to get their millions to safety. The cabinet bounced along. “We are happy to see what more we can do in that area,” said Hoekstra. “But the Zuidas is a container concept, it does not include a list of bank accounts. It often involves concealing constructions.” Still, he promised that Minister Sigrid Kaag (Finance, D66) will “come with further details” about what is possible.
Boycott of Russian gas
Not every proposal was received with equal enthusiasm, but the willingness to think outside the box turned out to be great. GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver proposed a boycott on gas and oil from Russia, because the ongoing trade in this stuff fills Putin’s war coffers. A radical idea. In the end, Klaver did not file a motion about it. Former CDA member Pieter Omtzigt proposed, together with the BoerBurgerBeweging, to put the frozen assets of Russian oligarchs in a fund from which the reconstruction of Ukraine can soon be paid. There was a majority in favor of that motion.
Hoekstra promised that the Netherlands wouldfair share” to refugees. As usual, the cabinet is in favor of ‘receiving the region’, but, Hoekstra said: “This is our region, this is Europe.” Hoekstra also noticed that the countries where the Ukrainians are now arriving, such as Poland and Hungary, did not or hardly want to accept refugees from southern Europe. But he expressed himself “very positively” about the efforts being made there this time.
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“Europe surprised me in a positive way,” said Hoekstra. The speed and unity with which the EU has been responding to the Russian invasion for days with sanctions, arms supplies and humanitarian aid is something you don’t often see, the minister said. That unity was “often hard to find in the past.” Prime Minister Rutte acknowledged that the EU failed to respond adequately after the Russian annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014. “In retrospect, it is clear that the response should have been stronger.”
Much attention was paid to statements by President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission. She is said to have said on Monday that she welcomes Ukraine’s ambition to become an EU member. Rutte called it “not useful at the moment to talk about full accession”, but also felt that von der Leyen’s statements were taken out of context. In principle, any country may express the ambition to become a member of the EU.
Just before the debate started, a long line formed in the room – in the back sat the Ukrainian ambassador to the Netherlands, Maksym Kononenko. Almost all MPs at the debate wanted to greet him and talk to him. PVV’er Raymond de Roon and FVD leader Thierry Baudet remained seated. Even when Chamber President Vera Bergkamp briefly addressed the ambassador and everyone stood up. In the PVV benches was Sietse Fritsma at that time.
During the debate, Baudet did not want to condemn the Russian invasion when asked. He did say, like Putin last week, that Ukraine is not a true nation-state. Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66) noted that “Kremlin propaganda” has reached the House of Representatives. Klaver believes that PVV and FVD should be excluded from non-public briefings about the war, in which sensitive information is shared with MPs. “We must not only protect ourselves against the Russians, but also against the interference in the Netherlands.”
Klaver also submitted a motion about an investigation into the possible financing with Russian money of parties, politicians and interest groups in the Netherlands. Before the end of the debate, a majority had already supported this.
2 percent
In the debate, SGP party chairman Kees van der Staaij made a big point about the 2 percent of the national income that, according to him, the Netherlands must now urgently spend on defense, as is also the intention in NATO. The Germans decided this weekend to meet the so-called ‘NATO standard’ in one fell swoop, with an additional 100 billion euros. The new cabinet is already spending considerably more on defense, but according to Van der Staaij there is still 5 billion to be added.
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Sjoerdsma was willing to ‘consider everything’, but does not want this to be at the expense of other investments. Ruben Brekelmans (VVD) wholeheartedly agreed with Van der Staaij and believes that the Netherlands should “go to a minimum of 2 percent in this cabinet term”. Minister Ollongren said the war could indeed have “financial consequences”. A situation has arisen “in which we should want to take extra steps”. Whether that is possible, and how, will now be mapped out, the minister promised.