Dutch Coalition Row Over Defense Spending Eases After Talks

“I had good and constructive discussions” with the parties, Schoof said in a Thursday evening statement. The cabinet will on Friday continue to work on formulating its official position, which is due next week, he added.

The meeting, which ran late into the evening, was dubbed a “crisis” by Dutch public broadcaster NOS. It was sparked by a Dutch parliament vote on Tuesday that backed a non-binding resolution opposing the EU’s plan to mobilize as much as €800 billion ($869 billion) in defense spending in the coming years.

EU leaders are gathering for a summit next week to discuss European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s rearmament plan. As President Donald Trump has signaled the US’s potential withdrawal from its commitment to European security, von der Leyen said the extra spending is needed to boost European capabilities in areas such as air and missile defense, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition.  

The plan had driven a new wedge through the already fragile Dutch coalition government. While the vote was non-binding, it complicates Schoof’s ability to proceed with talks at EU level. He has already agreed to “the outlines” of the EU defense plan on behalf of the Netherlands, NOS said. Schoof, a former intelligence chief, was a non-political, compromise choice to serve as premier.

The far-right Freedom Party that heads the coalition and is led by lawmaker Geert Wilders, is against using new EU joint debt to fund loans for defense spending or relaxing the EU’s fiscal rules for national budgets. Two of the other four parties in the coalition — the Farmer-Citizen Movement and New Social Contract — are also opposed. 

A solution has been found for the disagreement between Schoof and the three parties, NOS said, citing unidentified government officials.

–With assistance from Charlotte Hughes-Morgan.

(Updates with details throughout.)

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