In less than an hour, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold a joint press conference on the occasion of the bilateral summit that both countries are organizing today in Rotterdam. Scholz – with six ministers in tow – is in Rotterdam today to discuss the increasingly close cooperation between the two countries.
Robert Habeck of Economics and Climate and Christian Lindner of Finance, among others, will be present. According to political journalist Sophie van Leeuwen, the latter will talk to Kaag mainly about the turbulent times in the financial sector, in connection with the collapse of the Deutsche Bank stake.
Furthermore, according to Van Leeuwen, there will be much discussion about the state of the Dutch and German defenses. “The armies are almost merging,” says Van Leeuwen. “The 13th Brigade of our Army is incorporated into the German 10th Armored Division. This is a historic event.’
‘Working together, together strong’
Van Leeuwen states that The Hague and Berlin have met since the beginning of the war in Ukraine under the same motto “drawing together, strong together”. “And they actually want to continue that line in energy,” he says. “Substantial investments in hydrogen are underway, including in a huge power plant, and the Netherlands and Germany want to anticipate European cooperation a bit.” According to Van Leeuwen, it can safely be seen as a historic collaboration, because never before had the Netherlands and Germany worked so closely together in the political and economic fields.
Fusion?
But to call it a merger, CDA member of parliament Henri Bontenbal thinks it’s going too far. He acknowledges that collaboration with Germany is very close and this makes him happy. “Let’s not forget that Germany and the Netherlands have big industry,” he says. “We are also a very important transit port for Germany, so a major part of the energy Germany needs to run its industry passes through the port of Rotterdam.”
“We need to prevent competition between member states over who brings the greenest companies to their country”
That is why Bontenbal calls for even closer cooperation, because the energy supply of both countries is connected in every way. “And what we also need to prevent is competition between member states over who has the best incentive systems and who brings the greenest companies to their own country,” he continues. ‘This needs to be better coordinated.’
Security of the electricity supply
However, according to Bontenbal, the biggest improvement that can be made is in the security of Europe’s electricity supply. Especially since all electricity grids are interconnected and European countries are rapidly changing their electricity supplies. “Now there’s a lot more wind and a lot more sun,” says Bontenbal. “And security of supply must be guaranteed, even when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing.”
According to Bontenbal, at the moment it is still too much for everyone, and there is too much hope that “the neighbor” is inclined to provide electricity when there is a shortage. “I think that’s a bet we shouldn’t take.”
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
