Fourth Balkenende cabinet
Encyclopedia
The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the previous Dutch
coalition
cabinet
formed by the political parties
Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA), Labour Party (PvdA), and ChristianUnion
(CU). The cabinet succeeded the third Balkenende cabinet
following the 2006 election
, and was installed by Queen Beatrix
on 22 February 2007. It was named Balkenende IV after Prime Minister
Jan Peter Balkenende
. The cabinet, which was scheduled to be in office until 2011, collapsed on 20 February 2010 when the Labour Party ministers resigned over differences on whether to extend the country's military mission in Afghanistan. Balkenende lost the general election
in June 2010, when he resigned as PM and from his parliamentary seat. On 14 October 2010, the cabinet was succeeded by the Rutte cabinet of Prime Minister Mark Rutte
.
The coalition cabinet Balkenende II
collapsed on 29 June 2006 after the political party Democrats 66
(D66) withdrew their support for the coalition. The political parties Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA) and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
(VVD) formed the minority cabinet Balkenende III
, which was installed on 7 July 2006, and early general elections
were held on 22 November 2006. After the elections the Christian Democratic Appeal remained the largest party, while the Socialist Party
(SP), the Party for Freedom
(PVV), the ChristianUnion
(CU), and the Party for the Animals
(PvdD) gained seats in the new House of Representatives.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands appointed Rein Jan Hoekstra
as informateur. He explored the possibilities for the different three party coalitions, since no two parties could form a majority in the House of Representatives together. This resulted in a coalition of the Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA), the Labour Party
(PvdA), and the ChristianUnion
(CU). Together these three parties had 79 seats out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives. In the second information round Herman Wijffels
was the informateur to negotiate between the Jan Peter Balkenende
(CDA), Wouter Bos
(PvdA), and André Rouvoet
(CU) to reach a coalition agreement
. The motto of the agreement they reached on 7 February 2007 was "Samen leven, samen werken" ("Living together, working together").
The appointment of Jan Peter Balkenende
as formateur
by the Queen on 9 February 2007 was the start of the cabinet formation
. Four days later on 13 February a preliminary composition of the cabinet was announced.
On 22 February the cabinet members were sworn in by Queen Beatrix
.
once the Queen returns from holiday in Lech am Arlberg
. He will also offer the positions of the other ministers to the Queen. It is unclear what will happen afterward; possibilities include a demissionary cabinet
or a so-called rump cabinet, a minority government
. Either option will be a care taker cabinet awaiting early general elections
.
In February 2010, NATO had officially requested the Netherlands to extend its military involvement in Task Force Uruzgan
, the ISAF
operation in the Afghan
province of Uruzgan, aimed at training Afghan security forces and transfer of responsibilities to the local authorities. Coalition party PvdA strongly opposed the extension of the mission.The collision between the government and the parliament, of which the majority disagreed with an extension of the mission, as well as between the coalition partners in the cabinet, threatened the existence of the cabinet and led to its fall in the early morning of 20 February.
After the resignation of the Labour Party, Balkenende also offered to the Dutch Queen the resignations of the 12 cabinet positions held by his own party CDA and the three held by the smaller CU. Ministers of these two parties would take over the posts previously held by Labour ministers until a new government is formed. Labour leader Wouter Bos, who resigned as deputy prime minister and finance minister, announced that he wanted to continue to lead his party. The Deputy Prime Minister André Rouvoet
expected that the CDA and the CU would form a caretaker government until new parliamentary elections
, that were expected in May or June 2010. Labour Party leader Bos denied that the upcoming local elections in the Netherlands played a role in the decision to refuse to compromise on a possible extension of the Dutch military mission in Afghanistan.
According to opinion polls the Christian Democrats would win a new election, but then face difficulty in finding three coalition partners to establish a majority government. A poll by Maurice de Hond
on 14 February 2010 put the CDA on 27 seats, followed by the Freedom Party (PVV) on 25 seats and the Liberal Party (VVD) on 22 seats. According to a new opinion poll held after the fall of the cabinet, the Labour Party could expect to win 19 seats in a general election, the CDA 26, but it would stay the biggest party
until the general elections. Early elections
were held on 9 June 2010. The cabinet formation
started a day later.
supplied 8 ministers and 4 junior ministers, PvdA 6 ministers and 6 junior ministers, and ChristianUnion
supplied 2 ministers and 1 junior minister.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
formed by the political parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
(CDA), Labour Party (PvdA), and ChristianUnion
ChristianUnion
The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
(CU). The cabinet succeeded the third Balkenende cabinet
Third Balkenende cabinet
The third Balkenende cabinet was formed on 7 July 2006 after a crisis in and the subsequent resignation of the second Balkenende cabinet. This demissionary minority cabinet of Christian Democratic Appeal and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy was negotiated by former prime minister Ruud...
following the 2006 election
Dutch general election, 2006
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 22, 2006. And followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet....
, and was installed by Queen Beatrix
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
on 22 February 2007. It was named Balkenende IV after Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full...
. The cabinet, which was scheduled to be in office until 2011, collapsed on 20 February 2010 when the Labour Party ministers resigned over differences on whether to extend the country's military mission in Afghanistan. Balkenende lost the general election
Dutch general election, 2010
The 2010 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. After the fall of the cabinet Balkenende IV on 20 February, Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the Labour Party ministers on 23 February...
in June 2010, when he resigned as PM and from his parliamentary seat. On 14 October 2010, the cabinet was succeeded by the Rutte cabinet of Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs in the Rutte cabinet...
.
Formation
Second Balkenende cabinet
The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on 27 May 2003. It consisted of three political parties: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy , Christian Democratic Appeal , and Democrats 66 , which is the smallest of the three.On 29 June 2006, D66 dropped its support for...
collapsed on 29 June 2006 after the political party Democrats 66
Democrats 66
Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...
(D66) withdrew their support for the coalition. The political parties Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
(CDA) and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
(VVD) formed the minority cabinet Balkenende III
Third Balkenende cabinet
The third Balkenende cabinet was formed on 7 July 2006 after a crisis in and the subsequent resignation of the second Balkenende cabinet. This demissionary minority cabinet of Christian Democratic Appeal and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy was negotiated by former prime minister Ruud...
, which was installed on 7 July 2006, and early general elections
Dutch general election, 2006
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 22, 2006. And followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet....
were held on 22 November 2006. After the elections the Christian Democratic Appeal remained the largest party, while the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Netherlands)
The Socialist Party is a democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands. After the 2006 general election, the Socialist Party became one of the major parties of the Netherlands with 25 seats of 150, an increase of 16 seats. The party was in opposition against the fourth Balkenende cabinet...
(SP), the Party for Freedom
Party for Freedom
The Party for Freedom is a Dutch right-wing political party. Founded in 2005 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man party in the House of Representatives, it won nine seats in the 2006 general election, making it the fifth largest party in parliament, and third largest opposition party. It...
(PVV), the ChristianUnion
ChristianUnion
The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
(CU), and the Party for the Animals
Party for the Animals
The Party for the Animals is a political party in the Netherlands.Among its main goals are animal rights and animal welfare, though it claims not to be a single-issue party...
(PvdD) gained seats in the new House of Representatives.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands appointed Rein Jan Hoekstra
Rein Jan Hoekstra
Rein Jan Hoekstra was born in Dokkum. He graduated from the University of Groningen in 1965, majoring in Law. He has since worked as an attorney , Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers in 1983, and Secretary General at the Ministry of General Affairs...
as informateur. He explored the possibilities for the different three party coalitions, since no two parties could form a majority in the House of Representatives together. This resulted in a coalition of the Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
(CDA), the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
(PvdA), and the ChristianUnion
ChristianUnion
The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
(CU). Together these three parties had 79 seats out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives. In the second information round Herman Wijffels
Herman Wijffels
H.H.F. "Herman" Wijffels is a Dutch economist and politician for the CDA. From 1981 to 1999 he worked for the Rabobank ultimately as chairman of the board of directors and from March 15, 1999 until April 1, 2006, he was chairman of the Social-Economic Council...
was the informateur to negotiate between the Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full...
(CDA), Wouter Bos
Wouter Bos
Wouter Jacob Bos is a Dutch management consultant and former politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Balkenende IV from February 22, 2007 till February 23, 2010...
(PvdA), and André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet is a former Dutch politician of the ChristianUnion . First as a member of the RPF until the party merged with the Reformed Political League to form the ChristianUnion. He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from May 17, 1994 until February 22, 2007...
(CU) to reach a coalition agreement
Coalition agreement
In multiparty democracies, a coalition agreement is an agreement between the parties that form the cabinet. It codifies the most important goals and objectives of the cabinet. It is often written by the leaders of the parliamentary parties.-Examples:...
. The motto of the agreement they reached on 7 February 2007 was "Samen leven, samen werken" ("Living together, working together").
The appointment of Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full...
as formateur
Formateur
A formateur is a politician who is appointed by the head of state to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is especially important in the politics of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,...
by the Queen on 9 February 2007 was the start of the cabinet formation
2006–2007 Dutch cabinet formation
Following the 2006 Dutch general election, held on November 22, a process of cabinet formation started, involving negotiations about which coalition partners to form a common programme of policy and to divide the posts in cabinet...
. Four days later on 13 February a preliminary composition of the cabinet was announced.
On 22 February the cabinet members were sworn in by Queen Beatrix
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
.
Fall
During the night between 19 and 20 February 2010, after 16 hours of deliberation, it became clear that coalition partners PvdA and CDA had insufficient confidence in each other. As a result, Balkenende will deliver the letters of resignation of the Labour party ministers to Queen Beatrix of the NetherlandsBeatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
once the Queen returns from holiday in Lech am Arlberg
Lech am Arlberg
Lech am Arlberg is a mountain village and an exclusive ski resort in the Bludenz district of Vorarlberg, in western Austria, on the banks of the river Lech. In terms of both geography and history, Lech belongs to the Tannberg district...
. He will also offer the positions of the other ministers to the Queen. It is unclear what will happen afterward; possibilities include a demissionary cabinet
Demissionary cabinet
A demissionary cabinet is a type of caretaker cabinet in the Netherlands.A demissionary cabinet continues the current government after a cabinet has ended. This can either be after completion of the full term, between general elections and the formation of a new cabinet, or after a cabinet crisis...
or a so-called rump cabinet, a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. Either option will be a care taker cabinet awaiting early general elections
Dutch general election, 2010
The 2010 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. After the fall of the cabinet Balkenende IV on 20 February, Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the Labour Party ministers on 23 February...
.
In February 2010, NATO had officially requested the Netherlands to extend its military involvement in Task Force Uruzgan
Task Force Uruzgan
The Netherlands Army Task Force Uruzgan was part of NATO's Regional Command South, International Security Assistance Force, in Afghanistan. The Dutch lead one of the four Provincial Reconstruction Teams in the southern region of the country...
, the ISAF
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
operation in the Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
province of Uruzgan, aimed at training Afghan security forces and transfer of responsibilities to the local authorities. Coalition party PvdA strongly opposed the extension of the mission.The collision between the government and the parliament, of which the majority disagreed with an extension of the mission, as well as between the coalition partners in the cabinet, threatened the existence of the cabinet and led to its fall in the early morning of 20 February.
After the resignation of the Labour Party, Balkenende also offered to the Dutch Queen the resignations of the 12 cabinet positions held by his own party CDA and the three held by the smaller CU. Ministers of these two parties would take over the posts previously held by Labour ministers until a new government is formed. Labour leader Wouter Bos, who resigned as deputy prime minister and finance minister, announced that he wanted to continue to lead his party. The Deputy Prime Minister André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet is a former Dutch politician of the ChristianUnion . First as a member of the RPF until the party merged with the Reformed Political League to form the ChristianUnion. He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from May 17, 1994 until February 22, 2007...
expected that the CDA and the CU would form a caretaker government until new parliamentary elections
Dutch general election, 2010
The 2010 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. After the fall of the cabinet Balkenende IV on 20 February, Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the Labour Party ministers on 23 February...
, that were expected in May or June 2010. Labour Party leader Bos denied that the upcoming local elections in the Netherlands played a role in the decision to refuse to compromise on a possible extension of the Dutch military mission in Afghanistan.
According to opinion polls the Christian Democrats would win a new election, but then face difficulty in finding three coalition partners to establish a majority government. A poll by Maurice de Hond
Maurice de Hond
Maurice de Hond is a Dutch pollster and entrepreneur.-Career:De Hond studied social geography at the University of Amsterdam, obtaining a degree in 1971. He worked for the university, as assistant with the Sociaal Geografisch Instituut, but became a project leader for Interview-NSS in 1973...
on 14 February 2010 put the CDA on 27 seats, followed by the Freedom Party (PVV) on 25 seats and the Liberal Party (VVD) on 22 seats. According to a new opinion poll held after the fall of the cabinet, the Labour Party could expect to win 19 seats in a general election, the CDA 26, but it would stay the biggest party
Aftermath
On 23 February 2010 Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the PvdA ministers, and maintained the remaining ministers to run a demissionary cabinetDemissionary cabinet
A demissionary cabinet is a type of caretaker cabinet in the Netherlands.A demissionary cabinet continues the current government after a cabinet has ended. This can either be after completion of the full term, between general elections and the formation of a new cabinet, or after a cabinet crisis...
until the general elections. Early elections
Dutch general election, 2010
The 2010 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. After the fall of the cabinet Balkenende IV on 20 February, Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the Labour Party ministers on 23 February...
were held on 9 June 2010. The cabinet formation
2010 Dutch cabinet formation
Following the Dutch general election of 2010, held on June 9, a process of cabinet formation started, which typically involves 3 phases:# exploring with which parties to form a coalition,# negotiating to draft a coalition agreement ,...
started a day later.
Composition
The cabinet consisted of 16 ministers and 11 junior ministers (staatssecretaris). These positions were divided among the coalition members according to their size in parliament: CDAChristian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
supplied 8 ministers and 4 junior ministers, PvdA 6 ministers and 6 junior ministers, and ChristianUnion
ChristianUnion
The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
supplied 2 ministers and 1 junior minister.
| Position | Portfolio | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Prime Minister Prime Minister of the Netherlands The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government... |
General Affairs | Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
 |
Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands The Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the official Deputy of the Head of Government of the Netherlands. In the absence of the Prime Minister the deputy prime minister takes over his functions, such as chairing the Cabinet of the Netherlands... / Minister Minister (government) A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet.... Resigned 20 February 2010 |
Finance Ministry of Finance (Netherlands) The Ministry of Finance is the Dutch ministry of finance: it is occupied with the national budget, taxation and financial economic policy, including supervision of financial markets... |
Wouter Bos Wouter Bos Wouter Jacob Bos is a Dutch management consultant and former politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Balkenende IV from February 22, 2007 till February 23, 2010... |
PvdA |
| Deputy Prime Minister / Minister without Portfolio Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry... |
Youth and Family (within Health, Welfare and Sport) Caretaker minister for Education, Culture and Science from 23 February 2010 |
André Rouvoet André Rouvoet André Rouvoet is a former Dutch politician of the ChristianUnion . First as a member of the RPF until the party merged with the Reformed Political League to form the ChristianUnion. He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from May 17, 1994 until February 22, 2007... |
CU ChristianUnion The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the... |
|
| Minister | Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development... |
Maxime Verhagen Maxime Verhagen Maxime Jacques Marcel Verhagen is a Dutch politician in the Christian Democratic Appeal party. He is the Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation and Deputy Prime Minister since October 14, 2010 in the Cabinet Rutte.He previously served as a Member of the European Parliament for... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
|
| Minister | Justice Ministry of Justice (Netherlands) The Ministry of Security and Justice is the Dutch ministry of justice. Until 14 October 2010, the ministry was just called Ministry of Justice , but at the start of the Rutte cabinet, the name changed because it had taken over some public safety duties from the Ministry of the Interior... Caretaker minister Interior and Kingdom Relations from 23 February 2010 |
Ernst Hirsch Ballin Ernst Hirsch Ballin Ernst Maurits Henricus Hirsch Ballin is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Minister of Justice and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs from November 7, 1989 until May 27, 1994 in the Cabinet Lubbers III... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
|
| Minister Resigned 20 February 2010 | Interior and Kingdom Relations | Guusje ter Horst Guusje ter Horst Guus ter Horst, aka Guus ter Dorst is a Dutch politician of the Dutch Labour Party . Since June 7, 2011 she has been a member of the Senate. From February 22, 2007 till February 23, 2010 she was Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Cabinet Balkenende IV... |
PvdA | |
 |
Minister Resigned 20 February 2010 | Education, Culture and Science | Ronald Plasterk Ronald Plasterk Ronald Hans Anton Plasterk is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Education, Culture and Science from February 22, 2007 until February 23, 2010 in the Cabinet Balkenende IV. He has been a Member of the House of Representatives since June 17, 2010. He focuses on matters of... |
PvdA |
| Minister | Defence Caretaker minister Housing, Neighbourhoods and Integration from 23 February 2010 | Eimert van Middelkoop Eimert van Middelkoop Eimert van Middelkoop is a Dutch politician of the ChristianUnion party.From 2007 till 2010 he was Minister of Defence in the Cabinet Balkenende IV... |
CU ChristianUnion The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the... |
|
| Minister | Transport, Public Works and Water Management | Camiel Eurlings Camiel Eurlings Camiel Eurlings is a former Dutch politician and a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He was the minister at the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management from 22 February 2007 to 14 October 2010... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
|
| Minister | Economic Affairs | Maria van der Hoeven Maria van der Hoeven Maria Josephina Arnoldina van der Hoeven is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal party. She is the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency since 1 September 2011.... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
|
 |
Minister | Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality | Gerda Verburg Gerda Verburg Gerritje Verburg is a Dutch diplomat and former politician and trade union leader. Since July 1, 2011 she is Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, succeeding former CDA politician Agnes van Ardenne... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
| Minister | Social Affairs and Employment | Piet Hein Donner Piet Hein Donner Jan Pieter Hendrik "Piet Hein" Donner is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He is the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010.... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
|
| Minister | Health, Welfare and Sport | Ab Klink Ab Klink Abraham Klink is a former Dutch politician of Christian Democratic Appeal . He was Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport in the Fourth Balkenende cabinet.-External links: , Parlement & Politiek... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
|
| Minister Resigned 20 February 2010 | Spatial Planning and Environment | Jacqueline Cramer Jacqueline Cramer Jacqueline Marian Cramer was Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment in the Fourth Balkenende cabinet for the PvdA. Previously she was a professor of sustainable entrepreneurship at Utrecht University and professor of environmental management at Erasmus University... |
PvdA | |
| Minister without Portfolio Resigned 20 February 2010 | Housing, Neighbourhoods and Integration (within Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment) |
Eberhard van der Laan Eberhard van der Laan Eberhard Edzard van der Laan is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He has been the Mayor of Amsterdam since July 7, 2010. Before serving as Mayor he was Minister of Integration and Housing in the Cabinet Balkenende IV succeeding the sacked Ella Vogelaar... |
PvdA | |
| Minister without Portfolio Resigned 20 February 2010 | Development Cooperation Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development... (within Foreign Affairs) |
Bert Koenders Bert Koenders Albert Gerard "Bert" Koenders is a former Dutch politician. He was Minister for Development Cooperation of the Netherlands from 2007 until 2010... |
PvdA | |
| State Secretary* Resigned 20 February 2010 | Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development... (European Affairs) |
Frans Timmermans | PvdA | |
 |
State Secretary* Resigned 20 February 2010 | Economic Affairs (Foreign Trade) |
Frank Heemskerk | PvdA |
| State Secretary | Finance Ministry of Finance (Netherlands) The Ministry of Finance is the Dutch ministry of finance: it is occupied with the national budget, taxation and financial economic policy, including supervision of financial markets... (Fiscal Affairs) Caretaker minister Finance Ministry of Finance (Netherlands) The Ministry of Finance is the Dutch ministry of finance: it is occupied with the national budget, taxation and financial economic policy, including supervision of financial markets... from 23 February 2010 |
Jan Kees de Jager Jan Kees de Jager Jan Cornelis "Jan Kees" de Jager is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He is the Minister of Finance first in the Cabinet Balkenende IV from February 23, 2010 until October 14, 2010, and in the Cabinet Rutte since that date.He previously served as State Secretary for Finance... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
|
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State Secretary Resigned 20 February 2010 | Justice Ministry of Justice (Netherlands) The Ministry of Security and Justice is the Dutch ministry of justice. Until 14 October 2010, the ministry was just called Ministry of Justice , but at the start of the Rutte cabinet, the name changed because it had taken over some public safety duties from the Ministry of the Interior... (Immigration) |
Nebahat Albayrak Nebahat Albayrak Nebahat Albayrak is a Turkish-Dutch politician and former civil servant. As a member of the Dutch Labour Party she is a former State Secretary for Justice in the Netherlands. Since May 12, 2010 she has been an MP. From April till August 2011 she was on maternity leave... |
PvdA |
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State Secretary | Interior and Kingdom Relations (Kingdom relations) |
Ank Bijleveld | CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
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State Secretary | Education, Culture and Science (Secondary Education Education in the Netherlands Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is orientated toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of which are divided in streams for different educational levels... ) |
Marja van Bijsterveldt Marja van Bijsterveldt Janneke Marlene "Marja" van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart is a politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal. She is the Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010.-Early life:... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
| State Secretary Resigned 20 February 2010 | Education, Culture and Science (Childcare and Primary Education Education in the Netherlands Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is orientated toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of which are divided in streams for different educational levels... ) |
Sharon Dijksma Sharon Dijksma Sharon Alida Maria Dijksma is a Dutch politician. As a member of the Labour Party she has been again an MP since June 17, 2010... |
PvdA | |
| State Secretary Resigned 14 May 2010 | Defence Ministry of Defence (Netherlands) The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary... (Military personnel) |
Jack de Vries Jack de Vries Jacob Gabe "Jack" de Vries is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as State Secretary for Defence from December 18, 2007 until May 14, 2010... |
CDA Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
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State Secretary | Transport, Public Works and Water Management (Water Management) Caretaker minister Spatial Planning and Environment from 23 February 2010 |
Tineke Huizinga Tineke Huizinga Johanna Catharina Huizinga-Heringa is a former Dutch politician. She was a Member of Parliament for the ChristianUnion from 2002 to 2007. From 2007 till 2010 she was a Secretary of State and in 2010 Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning.Huizinga grew up in Amersfoort; both of her parents... |
CU ChristianUnion The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the... |
| State Secretary Resigned 20 February 2010 | Social Affairs and Employment (Income Policy) |
Jetta Klijnsma Jetta Klijnsma Jellejetta Klijnsma is a Dutch politician. As a member of the Labour Party she has been an MP since June 17, 2010. She focuses on matters of culture, senior citizens, disabled people and medical ethics... |
PvdA | |
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State Secretary Resigned 20 February 2010 | Health, Welfare and Sport (Care and Elderly) |
Jet Bussemaker Jet Bussemaker Mariëtte Bussemaker is a former Dutch politician and is state secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport.Jet Bussemaker attended primary and secondary education in Oegstgeest... |
PvdA |
| * The state secretaries for Foreign Affairs and Economic Affairs are allowed to use a ministerial title only while on foreign business. Their title then is minister of European Affairs and Foreign Trade respectively. | ||||
| Source: Volkskrant profiles of all ministers and ministers and state secretaries on the official RVD site on the cabinet formation, except for Huizinga, who selected later nos.nl | ||||
Policy
The coalition agreement titled "Living together, working together" was presented on 7 February in a press conference by Balkenende, Bos, Rouvoet. It is structured into six commitments of the new cabinet. If a proposal was included in a party's electoral manifesto, this is mentioned as well:- An active and constructive role in the world, which is characterized by these policies:
- Continued investments into the Joint Strike Fighter (as the CDA proposed).
- The new cabinet is not in favour of a new referendum on the European Constitution, which was voted down in 2005, but will consider new initiatives (both the CDA and CU opposed the referendum initially).
- An innovative, competitive and enterpreneurial economy, which is characterized by these policies:
- 1 billion increased spending on education (as all parties proposed).
- PrivatizationPrivatizationPrivatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of Schiphol airport is shelved (as the CU and the PvdA proposed).
- A durable environment, which is characterized by these policies:
- 800 million euros additional spending on renewable energyRenewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
(as both the PvdA and the CU proposed). - Pollution will be taxed more heavily (as both the PvdA and the CU proposed).
- A tax on airline tickets totalling 350 million euros (as all parties proposed).
- No new investments in nuclear energyNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
(as the CU and the PvdA proposed).
- 800 million euros additional spending on renewable energy
- Social cohesion, which is characterized by these policies:
- A reform of the system of basic state pensions: people who have private pensions of 15,000 euros and higher and who stop working before the age of 65 will pay an additional tax as of 2011. People who work beyond 65 receive tax breaks. This measure should guarantee an affordable basic state pension (AOW) despite trends in population ageingPopulation ageingPopulation ageing or population aging occurs when the median age of a country or region rises. This happens because of rising life expectancy or declining birth rates. Excepting 18 countries termed 'demographic outliers' by the UN) this process is taking place in every country and region across...
(a compromise between the PvdA, which wanted to tax all rich elderly and the CDA which wanted incentives to make people work longer). - Public social housingPublic housingPublic housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
will not be liberalised, rent rates may be raised only in line with inflation (as the PvdA proposed). - The tax deduction on mortgage interest payments remains unchanged (as the CDA proposed).
- Investments in problem areas in the large cities to make them "beautiful neighbourhoods" (as the PvdA proposed).
- Re-implementation of the subsidized jobs-scheme for the unemployedUnemploymentUnemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
(as the PvdA proposed). - ChildcareChildcareChild care means caring for and supervising child/children usually from 0–13 years of age. In the United States child care is increasingly referred to as early childhood education due to the understanding of the impact of early experiences of the developing child...
spending totalling 700 million euros (free child care was a PvdA election promise and opposed by CDA).
- A reform of the system of basic state pensions: people who have private pensions of 15,000 euros and higher and who stop working before the age of 65 will pay an additional tax as of 2011. People who work beyond 65 receive tax breaks. This measure should guarantee an affordable basic state pension (AOW) despite trends in population ageing
- Safety, stability and respect, which is characterized by these policies:
- Reduction of all crimeCrimeCrime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
s by 25%. - A ban on burqaBurqaA burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
s and other face covering clothing for security reasons (as the CDA proposed).
- Reduction of all crime
- Government and a servile public sector
- In response to opposition to extravagant wages earned by some top civil servants and top level managers of quangoQuangoQuango or qango is an acronym used notably in the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere to label an organisation to which government has devolved power...
s, sometimes five times that of the prime minister, no one will be allowed an income greater than the prime minister's. In order to accomplish this, the prime minister's salary will be increased. - Cutting the number of civil servants to save 750 million euros.
- Women seeking an abortionAbortion in the NetherlandsAbortion in the Netherlands was fully legalized on November 1, 1984, allowing abortions to be done on-demand until the twenty-first week. Cases which involve urgent medical attention can be aborted until the twenty-fourth week. There is a five-day waiting period for abortions.- History :Abortion...
are to expect an additional waiting period between first consultation and actual procedure on top of the already mandatory five days waiting period (as the CU proposed). - Minor reforms of the health careHealth careHealth care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
-system, including the abolishment of the no claim and the re-inclusion of dental care into the basic insurance. - Increased taxation on cigaretteCigaretteA cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s and liquor, smoke-free bars and restaurants by 2011. - A general pardon for asylum seekers who entered the Netherlands before the new Asylum Law came into effect (as both the CU and the PvdA proposed).
- The coalition wants to have a budget surplus of 1% of the GDP by 2011 with a projected 2% annual economic growth (as all parties proposed).
- In response to opposition to extravagant wages earned by some top civil servants and top level managers of quango
External links
- Cabinet at the Government of the NetherlandsCabinet of the NetherlandsThe cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Dutch government. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Rutte cabinet.-Composition and role:...