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Dutch Minority Coalition Unveils Defense-First Plan as Jetten Sets Pro‑Europe Course

The minority coalition must now win support across a fragmented parliament to enact its defense-first agenda.

Overview

  • Rob Jetten and partners CDA and VVD published a 67-page governing blueprint, with their three-party bloc holding 66 of 150 lower-house seats.
  • The program commits an extra €19 billion to reach a NATO target of 5% of GDP on defense-related outlays and aims to set a 3.5% core military spending floor in law.
  • The coalition pledges multi-year military and financial aid for Ukraine and to press for using frozen Russian assets, with Jetten ruling out talks with Moscow while its aggression continues.
  • To help finance priorities, the plan proposes a €184-per-person annual “freedom contribution” expected to raise about €3.4 billion and shifts more health and social costs onto citizens.
  • Jetten frames stronger European cooperation as essential, calling Trump’s Greenland push a wake-up call for Europe, as the program backs a tougher tone with Washington when Dutch interests are at stake and heads to parliamentary debate next week before a likely late-February swearing-in.