According to BNR’s internal economist, Han de Jong, Gentiloni is right ‘in the strict sense’. However, there are caveats to criticism, De Jong says. “These criticisms have been heard for some time, indeed since the coalition agreement was born a year ago. Furthermore, it is not even known how much fiscal policy actually contributes to this “rise in inflation”.
And, in fact, the Commission should also look at itself, thinks De Jong. ‘Next Gen EU was launched last year, which is also the largest stimulus package, according to the European Commission. You can criticize Holland, but they can also take a critical look at their own package.”
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Ironic
The fact that Gentiloni criticizes Holland and Germany also has something ‘ironic’ about it, according to De Jong. “But there’s something inside. The support from both countries is pretty blurry, while you want to support your families who really need it.’ But it should be borne in mind that support started quite late and therefore something had to be set up very quickly. “Then you obviously understand this.”
According to Gentiloni, the Dutch price cap for energy bills means that households no longer have an incentive to save energy. ‘But I’ve looked into my situation and when my contract ends in March, my energy costs will double. This is really an incentive. Without the energy cap, I’d be faced with quadrupling my energy bill. Then we cannot speak of a total lack of stimuli ».