According to Prime Minister Rutte, it is unwise to expel the Russian ambassador, because the lines of communication with Russia must remain open. If the Netherlands asks the Russian ambassador to leave, Russia will do the same in reverse with the Dutch ambassador in Moscow, Rutte told the House of Representatives yesterday.
EU summit
The European Commission wants to give Member States the opportunity to make sustainable investments. This proposal is part of the Green Deal Business Plan (GDIP). This requires a new fund, from which Member States can receive grants and loans.
The Netherlands supports the idea of providing the business community with opportunities to make sustainable investments. “But we don’t want to create a new money fund for this,” says political journalist Leendert Beekman. ‘Rutte prefers to see the money come from existing jars, like an ‘old’ crown jar. Kaag and Rutte are diametrically opposed on this one, so it’s a sensitive issue.’
However, there are concerns in the House of Representatives about the investment climate. GDIP is seen as a counterpart to the US one Inflation Reduction Act. It is therefore clear that an answer must be formulated. According to Beekman, it has become somewhat of a political issue and much is still unclear.
Migration
There are also huge contradictions within the coalition in the field of migration. The VVD and the CDA oppose D66 and ChristenUnie. The VVD and the CDA believe that it is more important that the member states can take certain decisions themselves and then finance them themselves, such as the erection of border barriers. D66 and ChristenUnie prefer to address the issue of migration at a European level.
According to Beekman, the Netherlands is strongly engaged in several areas, such as returning rejected migrants, improving control at Europe’s external borders and complying with the Dublin regulation.
Other items on the agenda of the EU summit include housing construction, the owner-occupied sector and arms deliveries to Ukraine.