The fall of Rutte IV: where do we go from here?
Just before the summer recess of 2023, the Rutte IV cabinet fell. This was followed shortly after by the announcement that Mark Rutte would not continue as VVD list leader. With that, the fence seemed to be drawn. Within a short time, Hugo de Jonge (CDA), Wopke Hoekstra (CDA), Sigrid Kaag (D66) and Carola Schouten (CU) also announced that they would be leaving politics [...].
Electoral gains for BBB in all provinces, but will this lead to administrative change?
'Sweet Caroline' sounded loudly in a packed hall in Bathmen, Overijssel, on March 15, 2023. Relieved people celebrated on the evening of the Provincial Council elections 2023 that the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) had become the largest. Not only in Overijssel, but in all twelve provinces. A monster victory in which also Caroline van der Plas, the [...]
A new Senate, what does it mean?
On May 30, the new Senate was elected. But what does the Senate actually do? What is its place in our state system? What is its power and influence on government policy? And how will the Rutte IV Cabinet push its legislative agenda to majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate? Our parliamentary [...]
Netherlands must make cuts again, but climate train steams on
The Spring Memorandum is in the House of Representatives and that means that the discussion about the national debt and the government's spending is going to be held again. A change of course is underway, because after years of spending, the Netherlands is forced to make cuts. Indeed, the cabinet is facing a number of substantial setbacks. For example, it supports [...]
From the IBO Climate menu to a front-loaded Spring Note
Indeed, the Climate and Energy Outlook (KEV) 2022, released on Nov. 1 of last year, showed that the existing government plans for CO2 reduction do not yet add up to the desired goal of 55% reduction compared to 1990. This KEV is published every year to give just that insight into the CO2 reduction range of the proposed [...]
From Zeerijp to The Hague: What happens after the presentation of the report of the parliamentary committee of inquiry on gas extraction Groningen?
The Standing Parliamentary Committee for Economic Affairs and Climate is currently considering the report so that a Parliamentary debate can be prepared. The first step being taken is a round of written questions on March 23. At the press conference, Chairman Van der Lee announced that a debate in the House of Representatives will first [....]
Electricity market reform: return to long-term contracts in the short term?
According to the EC, the design of the electricity market no longer suits current market developments with high gas prices on the one hand and a growing supply of renewable electricity on the other. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission, already summarized the essence of the reform in her speech on the State of the European Union in September [....]
The Publieke Zaken annual review 2022 - From crisis to crisis
This busy year, in which the number of challenges increased, Lower House Speaker Vera Bergkamp describes as "a year of great events. For example, Ukrainian President Zelensky addressed the Lower House. Never before had a foreign head of state addressed the Dutch parliament. In addition, parliamentary history was again made in October by the suspension of [...]
Publieke Zaken Launches PZ Energy Research & Strategy
The new department will be headed by Hans van Cleef. He is transferring from ABN Amro Bank where he had been following developments in the financial markets in various roles since 2002. From 2012, Hans worked as a senior energy economist at the bank's Economic Bureau and regularly addressed the media [...].
Climate and Energy Outlook 2022: 'A scoop is needed'
On November 1, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (Pbl) presented the annual Climate and Energy Outlook (KEV), which sets out the extent to which the Netherlands is on the right track. The urgency of the problem and the comprehensiveness of this exploration make this annual publication an important moment for the Dutch policy cycle. Should the [...]