Wim Voermans on departure of Pieter Omtzigt and the spring budget
image: Hansjorg Keller via Unsplash
Political talk show Café Kockelmann focused on two major issues on 18 April: the departure of Pieter Omtzigt after 21 years in Dutch politics and the chaotic preparation of the spring budget. Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional Law, was a guest.
Voermans calls Omtzigt a ‘distinctive politician’ and he provided him with advice quite regularly. The professor says that the book Nieuw Sociaal Contract (New Social Contract), planted the seed for the founding of the new political party with the same name. In previous Rutte cabinets, according to Voermans, 'there was a deliberate drive to cut off the supply of information to parliament, for instance in the childcare benefit scandal, where Omtzigt, thanks to his enormous tenacity and dossier knowledge, put the rule of law (art. 68) back in the spotlights.'
Voermans is critical of how the spring budget was prepared. 'The procedure is incorrect, it’s the wrong way round.' It should be limited to ‘an update/revision of the budget and no new decisions should be made.’ Voermans proposes synchronising our budget with EU social and economic policy by holding the budget, and thus the State Opening of Parliament, in spring. However, this would require a revision of the Dutch Constitution first.