Breaking News | Dutch Liberals and Conservatives form government with the Far Right

A shocking betrayal of liberal and democratic values

The European Greens condemn the decision of Liberals and Conservatives to collaborate with the Far Right in the new government of the Netherlands. 

The new Dutch government is led by the Party for Freedom of far-right firebrand Geert Wilders (PVV, Dutch sister party of Le Pen’s National Rally, and Alternative for Germany in the Identity and Democracy group) and includes the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD, party of incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte, part of the European umbrella ALDE and the Renew Europe group), as well as the New Social Contract party NSC, which wants to join the European People’s Party, and the Farmer–Citizen Movement BBB, that announced it will join the EPP Group in the EP. 

Terry Reintke, European Greens leading candidate said: “This far-right government led by the PVV, a party with a track record of xenophobia that wants to ban mosques, has extreme anti-European positions, and celebrates autocrats like Putin, Orbán and Trump, is very bad news for freedom and democracy in the Netherlands, and in Europe. The far right can never get into power on its own. For a long time we could rely on the Liberals and Conservatives to keep the far right out of power. Now it looks like cynicism, opportunism and indifference have set in among them”.

Bas Eickhout, European Green leading candidate said: “The European Liberals of ALDE and Renew Europe continue to call themselves an alliance of 'liberals' and 'democrats', while their members enter into government with the anti-European, xenophobic far right. Instead, ALDE/Renew and the Dutch VVD should defend democratic values on both the European and the Dutch level.”

This move by the Dutch Liberals and Conservatives is also in sharp contradiction with last week’s joint declaration of the European parliament’ leaders of the Greens, Socialists, the Left, and the Liberals calling for a united rejection of any collaboration with far-right parties. 

The EPP group refused to sign that declaration. Two parties of the Dutch far-right government, NSC and BBB, intend to join the European People’s Party. The European Greens call on the party of Ursula von der Leyen not to accept parties that govern together with a member of the far-right Identity and Democracy.