Representatives of the Dutch right-wing coalition, who have been negotiating since the Dutch election in November 2023, could soon sign an agreement to form the next government, according to reports from several news agencies. The four parties, PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB have until Wednesday at 11.59pm to reach an agreement. 

Signals seem to suggest that the parties could come to an agreement soon

So far, reports suggest that the parties have made several agreements on a number of key issues. At the weekend, Dutch news agencies reported that the parties are now in agreement on the subject of asylum and refugee numbers - an issue that all parties wished to address in their manifestos and pitches at the election in November.

The green signals come months after initial coalition talks failed, and the majority party PVV was forced to agree not to allow its controversial leader Geert Wilders to head up the coalition as the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Wilders said at the time that he was disappointed with the development. 

Parties still need to iron out some issues relating to finance

Though the negotiating parties have managed to move past some of the major sticking points that they initially faced, there are still concerns about whether they would be able to come to an agreement about the country’s finances. At the moment the Netherlands’ budget is running tighter than usual, with more cuts needed in the coming years, so the parties need to agree on where to make the cutbacks and what aspects of Dutch society require more funding. 

Both the PVV and BBB made comparatively expensive pledges in their manifestos last year, against the more financially conservative plans made by the other coalition negotiators - the VVD and NSC. “Tomorrow will again be a very long day. You can bet on it,” Richard van Zwol, one of the two negotiation leaders, told reporters after Monday’s talks.

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