This improvement is due to two things, thinks De Jong. On the one hand, the pandemic, from which Holland ‘progressively emerged’ last year, and on the other, the formation of a team of public officials whose task was to implement improvements in financial management. “Apparently this has also led to positive results,” says De Jong. “But still not enough.”
“In recent years we have experienced special circumstances”
This is also the conclusion of the Court of Auditors, far from lenient. The report refers, inter alia, to structural weaknesses and serious problems in the event of levees bursting. De Jong thinks that the supervisory body always keeps a critical eye, “but in recent years we have experienced particular circumstances”, he continues. “The pandemic, the crazy increase in energy prices, the war, so I don’t mind things going wrong.”
‘Very’
Even if De Jong hadn’t thought that so much would go wrong. Last year’s report showed that the government fell short of five percent of its obligations. “While the tolerance limit is one percent,” says De Jong. “So that’s a fivefold increase.”
That percentage will drop to 1.2% in 2022, so according to De Jong there is a “significant improvement”. “And if we look at actual spending, we see that five percent amounts to 15 billion euros,” explains De Jong. ‘And now it’s back to just under 5 billion. It’s a lot of money, but it’s still an improvement.’