With Rob Jetten as the Netherlands’ new prime minister, The Hague is firmly back at the European table. After months of relative isolation under the short-lived cabinet backed by the right-wing, Eurosceptic Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders, the Dutch government is once again projecting a distinctly pro-European tone, highlighted by Mr Jetten’s trip to Brussels. Yet while the rhetoric has shifted, Dutch fiscal caution remains intact, signalling potential tensions ahead.
The 38-year-old Rob Jetten of the progressive D66 party (part of the Renew group in the European Parliament) leads a minority coalition with the Christian Democrats (CDA – EPP) and the liberal VVD (Renew).
Though small in size, the Netherlands has traditionally punched above its weight in EU politics. Under the near 14-year leadership of Mark Rutte—now Secretary-General of NATO—The Hague was a decisive player in budgetary and single market debates.
His successor, Dick Schoof, struggled to replicate that influence. Mr Schoof’s room for manoeuvre in Brussels was severely limited by a coalition marked by constant internal disagreements and little cohesion.
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Back in the EU game
In his second week as prime-minister, Rob Jetten is signaling European diplomacy as a priority for his coalition. “As a founding member and the fifth-largest economy within the EU, the Netherlands is back at the table to work closely together with everyone here in Brussels and our allies within the EU,” Mr Jetten said.
On his first foreign visit as prime minister, he travelled to Brussels to meet leaders of the EU institutions, including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President Antonio Costa and Parliament President Robert Metsola. Mr Jetten travelled to Brussels with a clear message: deeper European economic integration is a Dutch economic necessity.
In an increasingly unstable world, marked by trade wars and geopolitical tensions, Europe is where we make our money. – Rob Jetten, Netherlands’ prime minister
“In an increasingly unstable world, marked by trade wars and geopolitical tensions, Europe is where we make our money,” Mr Jetten said. “That makes it all the more important that we strengthen cooperation and further integrate our economies.”
High expectations, with budgetary limits
Ms von der Leyen, on her turn, has “a lot of expectations” of the Dutch premier. But those expectations may meet familiar Dutch frugality when negotiations on, for example, the next long-term budget (MFF) intensify.
Prime minister Jetten may frame the Dutch position more diplomatically than his predecessors; his coalition agreement notes that it supports ’a modern European budget that contributes to the EU’s strategic goals’. That marks a tonal shift from the previous cabinet, which, in line with Germany, saw the budget as simply ’too high’.
But in actions, however, the new cabinet follows the line of its more Eurosceptic predecessor. Similar to it, the coalition agreement foresees a structural reduction of €1.6bn in Dutch EU contributions from 2028 onwards.
I will take a clear Dutch position in the negotiations on the EU’s multi-billion budget. That may disappoint Ms von der Leyen. – Rob Jetten, Netherlands’ prime minister
“We will keep a close eye on every euro,” Mr Jetten told reporters with a smile. “I will take a clear Dutch position in the negotiations on the EU’s multi-billion budget. That may disappoint Ms von der Leyen. I will strongly support her on some issues, and on others I will also ask something in return.”
The Netherlands wants a financially sound budget that does not expand beyond what it sees as necessary. On joint debt issuance, his message left little room for interpretation: no new eurobonds.
“A modern MFF doesn’t mean an exploded MFF in terms of numbers,” Mr Jetten said.
Competitiveness first
Where Mr Jetten appears eager to lead is on competitiveness—something that was, in the prime minister’s own words, ’music to the ears’ of his conversation partners in Brussels.
Mr Jetten underlined the necessity of deepening the capital markets union, arguing that removing barriers in European capital markets could unlock billions in growth potential and significantly boost European prosperity. The Netherlands, with its large pension funds and financial sector, wants to play a driving role in advancing that agenda.
The same applies to new industrial policy instruments such as the European Competitiveness Fund and a potential ’Chips Act 2.0’, building on the existing European Chips Act. The Dutch government expects those initiatives to reinforce its high-tech and semiconductor ecosystem.
Simplification is another priority. The coalition supports cutting what it calls ’unnecessary national add-ons’ to EU legislation and backs Brussels’ recent efforts to reduce regulatory burdens. It also endorses the so-called 28th regime proposal, aimed at creating a single, optional EU-wide legal framework to make cross-border business operations easier.
Flexible partnerships
When asked which partners Mr Jetten will mainly be looking to, he signalled a Rutte-style approach of flexible partnerships rather than rigid blocs.
Drawing on his experience as climate and energy minister during the energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he said: “If you invest in relationships and search creatively for substantive solutions, you can build smart alliances.”
He specifically said he intends to work closely with both Germany and France—with Berlin primarily on economic policy and energy cooperation, and with Paris on security. At the same time, he stressed that the UK remains an essential partner in areas such as security and energy, despite its departure from the EU.
“That is the role the Netherlands has to play,” Mr Jetten said: building smart coalitions that serve both Dutch interests and European cooperation.
