King gives permanent assignment to next cabinet in speech from the throne | Politics

The next cabinet will have to make ‘important choices’ about migration and integration. That was the call to his successor that Prime Minister Mark Rutte had the king make the speech from the throne. In July, Rutte’s last cabinet fell because the government parties could not agree on stricter rules for asylum seekers. In the speech from the throne, the king said that migration ‘has an effect on society’.

It was just one of the veiled messages that the team of ministers passed on to their successors through the king. There will be elections on November 22, after which a new cabinet will take office. This speech from the throne is therefore the last written by Prime Minister Rutte. Next year the king (this year wearing reading glasses for the first time) will read a speech from the throne made by Rutte’s successor. The outgoing cabinet took the opportunity to urge the next team of ministers to continue with the important files that remain unfinished.

For example, Rutte had the king emphasize once again that it is important to continue with the climate policy that has been implemented. “More extreme weather conditions and high energy prices underline the importance of this,” the king said. The king also underlined the importance of ‘continuing to work’ on building sufficient housing and improving education.

Other topics that the next cabinet must continue with are tackling poverty, compensation for those affected by the benefits affair, dealing with the earthquake damage in Groningen, fighting for justice for the MH17 relatives and support for Ukraine. According to the king, these are all topics that ‘require decisiveness’. This is striking, because the first three subjects in particular have remained stuck in a stagnant state despite the good intentions of the current cabinet.

In its latest budget, the government has allocated approximately 2 billion euros for poverty reduction. For example, the housing allowance will increase and the child-related budget will be increased. The Energy Emergency Fund will also be extended, so that people who can no longer pay their energy bills have a safety net. In addition, the employment tax credit will be increased next year, so that workers will have more net wages.

“In the coming months, the Netherlands will once again choose a direction for the future,” the king ended the speech from the throne. “There is a major task for everyone who has political or administrative responsibility to offer people stability and hope in a time of great change. This way we can continue to build the social fabric of our country.”

The speech from the throne discussed in detail that ‘social fabric’: what ordinary people achieve together day in, day out. Polarization puts pressure on that tissue. The king called on everyone to continue building that social fabric.

Although the speech from the throne was mainly a look ahead to the next cabinet period, it actually started with a look back at the first ten years of Willem-Alexander’s kingship. He reflected on, among other things, the MH17 disaster, the excuses for the history of slavery and the corona period. But also the ‘hundreds of heart-warming visits that made an unforgettable impression’. “The Netherlands has proven time and time again to be a country of enterprising and initiative-rich people who want to do good for and with each other.”

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