The Netherlands failed to take a leading role within the EU bloc, said Laurens Dassen, party leader of the Dutch branch of pan-European party Volt (EU Greens) about the fallen cabinet of now former prime minister Mark Rutte.
Dassen made his remarks in an interview with Dutch publication De Trouw, during which he announced that he would again be his party’s lead candidate during the upcoming national elections.
“The coalition agreement stated that the Netherlands would take a leading role in Europe. I think we have seen very little of that,” he stated.
“Recently, for example, the Netherlands voted against the European Nature Restoration Law [and] Rutte wants to strengthen the power of individual countries,” said the Volt leader, adding that one “should instead make Europe stronger as a whole so that we can better respond to developments in the world”.
The controversial EU Nature Restoration Law aims to introduce binding targets for EU countries in the realm of nature restoration.
While the EU Council approved it in June, the Netherlands opted to vote against it, fearing the potential backlash by representatives of the agri-food sector as the country continues to grapple with its nitrogen crisis.
Nevertheless, Dassen was not all critical of the government’s policies, stating that “when it comes to support for Ukraine, I think the cabinet and coalition deserve compliments”.
The Dutch have been at the forefront of military support to Ukraine, exemplified by their participation in the F16 fighter jet coalition and hosting of the Register of Damage caused by Russia.
Volt is currently projected to gain 4% of the votes in the upcoming national elections, which are set to take place in November. (Benedikt Stöckl | EURACTIV.com)
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