The odds of the coalition government holding together seem slim at the moment, said Geert Wilders after a discussion about the latest demands on asylum policy he presented last month. The leader of the far-right PVV party, which is the largest of the four parties in the coalition, spoke with reporters after talks with other coalition leaders on Monday evening.
"It wasn't a pleasant conversation." Afterwards he repeated his demands, which drew criticism from coalition parties VVD, NSC and BBB, for not including any clear policy. The Cabinet's asylum and migration minister, Marjolein Faber, is also in the PVV. The ball is already in her court, said VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz, who previously criticized Faber's lack of haste in developing actionable policy.
"I think things have to happen now, that they have to happen quickly," said Wilders, calling on the immediate support from coalition leaders. "Ultimately I haven't seen a signature yet and it doesn't look like they're going to sign on to this. And then we'll have a serious problem." The coalition partners indicated Wilders is blustering unnecessarily, as the existing coalition agreement already addresses many of the topics Wilders has raised.
Last Monday, Wilders put forward ten demands regarding asylum, migration and immigration. He wants the Netherlands to be able to deport Dutch citizens with a second nationality when they are accused of committing a crime, he believes all asylum procedures should be stopped, there should be a temporarily halt to family reunification procedures, and he insisted on halting plans to develop any new asylum reception centers, which could relieve strain and overcrowding that has plagued the system.
He has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the coalition if his demands are not met within a few weeks. But Wilders should simply submit his demands as a measure to be voted on by his fellow parliamentarians in the Tweede Kamer, said Yeşilgöz and NSC leader Nicolien van Vroonhoven after meeting with Wilders in his office.
Wilders refuses to create his own bill and have it debated in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament, which is also led by a PVV colleague. "If you want to be sure that a minister will get something, you have to make sure that it is included in the outline agreement. Then you know for sure that the factions are bound to it."
VVD, NSC and BBB believe the PVV should take action on Wilders' asylum demands, and they reiterated their earlier view of Wilders' plans, saying they will not work against the PVV. But Yesilgöz said threatening to bring down the Cabinet is not productive. BBB leader Caroline van der Plas agreed, poining out some of the PVV leaders' ideas are already possible.
"The three of us have indicated that we will not form a blockade," Van der Plas stated.
"I don't know what to negotiate about," Yeşilgöz said before the meeting began, reiterating that the PVV should "work it out." "If it means that you just want to drop everything, then you should say so," said Yeşilgöz. But she would find that unnecessary and "super irresponsible."
Van Vroonhoven also thinks Wilders already has all the room he needs to push a proposal forward. "The proper way and the best way is to do that via his own minister," Van Vroonhoven said earlier in the evening. She also was disappointed that Wilders would attempt to hold the coalition hostage over the matter.
"The Netherlands doesn't like deserters," said Van der Plas ahead of the talks. The parties will continue talks on Tuesday.
Railway strikes are looming as collective bargaining talks between NS and the trade unions have stalled. Both FNV and VVMC gave NS an ultimatum to come up with a better offer or face strikes on Friday. NS responded on Sunday with an offer to restart talks, but the unions are unimpressed. The first strike could happen on Friday in the Netherlands’ Midden region.
The trade unions are unhappy with the wage increase NS is offering. “2.55 percent for a year is really scandalous, that doesn’t even come close to inflation, while NS staff have been lagging inflation by more than 5 percent since 2019,” Henri Janssen of FNV said. According to the trade union, 90 percent of its NS members are willing to strike.
FNV gave NS until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday to respond with a better offer. VVMC also gave NS an ultimatum, which expires at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Trade union CNV will also participate in the strikes, but did not give the rail company an ultimatum, an NS spokesperson told ANP.
NS responded to the ultimatums on Sunday, hoping to get the trade unions back at the negotiation table. “We are disappointed that there is no new collective labor agreement yet,” the spokesperson told the news wire. “NS has not yet made a final offer in the negotiations. That is why we would like to resume the talks quickly. Ultimately, the only place where you conclude a collective labor agreement is at the table.
The trade unions weren’t impressed by NS’s response. VVMC chairman Wim Eilert called it “not very promising,” speaking to ANP. Janssen of FNV said that the time for more negotiations is over without a clear commitment from NS. “Our members clearly indicate that this opportunity has now passed.”
So far, the unions are planning five strikes: in the Midden region on June 6, in the West region on June 10, in the Noord-Wet and Oost regions on June 12, and in the Noord and Zuid regions on June 16. If NS still hasn’t agreed to their demands, there will be a nationwide strike, likely on June 17.
More homeowners worry about affording their fixed housing costs, NOS reports from a survey by the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG). Over a third of respondents said that their income is just enough or insufficient to pay all costs and fixed expenses, a slight increase compared to the previous survey in October.
The number of people in arrears on their mortgage is historically low, but according to the NHG, it takes a long time for money troubles to reflect in mortgage payments. Housing costs are often the last thing to fall into arrears.
Over 20 percent of respondents worry about their financial situation. According to the NHG, these concerns keep this group of people awake at night. They feel powerless and stressed.
“We also see that one in three people say: I can just about make ends meet. This involves multiple expenses, including housing cots, but also other expenses,” NHG chair Carla Muters said.
About 20 percent of homeowners said they use their holiday pay to cover necessary expenses like home maintenance.
The NHG raised concerns about homeowners who took out a fixed-interest mortgage between 2015 and 2021, when the mortgage interest rates were unprecedently low, even below one 1percent at one point. Those who took out 10-year fixed-rate mortgages will soon face adjustments, and mortgage interest rates have increased since early 2022, currently averaging at around 3.5 percent.
“Depending on the period, it will expire now or in the coming years, and then you will be confronted with a higher mortgage interest rate. It is difficult to say how much more you will pay,” Muters said. “It depends on your situation and what kind of mortgage you have. Then you have to compare the interest rate: what is it now, and what have you paid before? That is an individual sum, but it can cost tens of euros or much more net per month.”
PVV leader Geert Wilders again threatened to leave the coalition if the majority of his ten proposals on migration are not added to the coalition agreement, he wrote on X. When the radical right-wing politician presented his plans last week, he also threatened to walk away, but did not say when he would do so.
According to experts, Wilders’ proposals are largely unfeasible and also unlawful. They include a complete stop on asylum and family reunification, the army guarding the border, and stripping dual-nationality from people who commit crimes, among other things.
According to asylum lawyer Michael Yap, refusing asylum seekers at the border is impossible. He added that stopping family reunification conflicts with national and European law.
On Monday evening, the coalition parties will discuss Wilders’ proposals. The BBB is positive about them. NSC and VVD have responded with a shrug and believe that PVV Minister Marjolein Faber would be better off focusing on her strict asylum laws and other agreements on migration already in the coalition agreement.
This is not the first time Wilders threatened a Cabinet crisis if he did not get his way on asylum. So far, he has not followed through on these threats.
A powerful hailstorm swept across Midden- and Noord-Limburg Saturday evening, pelting towns with hailstones up to five centimeters wide, damaging vehicles, flooding streets, and briefly halting a local pop festival. Emergency services were called to multiple locations as the extreme weather caused widespread disruption across the region, L1 Nieuws reports.
Around 6 p.m., hailstones measuring about two centimeters in diameter began falling in the areas around Maasbracht and Echt, according to the Facebook group Stormchasers Limburg. While no significant damage was initially reported in those towns, the storm intensified as it moved eastward and northward. An hour later, larger hailstones struck Belfeld with enough force to dent car roofs. In Venlo, where hailstones up to five centimeters were reported, some car windshields shattered under the impact.
Reports of similar large hailstones came in from Melick, Tegelen, and Reuver. In Herkenbosch, firefighters responded to flooding on Van der Landelaan caused by the torrential rainfall that accompanied the hail. Other parts of the Roerdalen municipality, including Sint Odiliënberg and Melick, experienced street flooding and water entering basements. Vehicles in several locations also sustained damage from the hail.
In Horst, around 9 p.m., another heavy downpour prompted fire crews to pump out water from flooded cellars. The same evening, in Egchel, the severe weather forced the temporary suspension of EGOpop, a local pop festival. The event was paused for approximately 30 minutes before resuming, according to local broadcaster Omroep PenM.
Footage shared by weather platform Buienradar showed hailstones raining down on parked cars in a Venlo street. A car alarm was triggered by the intensity of the hail, according to the weather service.
Meteo Limburg warned that other areas in the province could still face additional rain, hail, and thunderstorms, possibly accompanied by strong gusts of wind. The storm was expected to move eastward during the night. The weather agency also indicated that similar conditions might affect parts of Noord-Brabant, Gelderland, and Overijssel later in the evening.
A police officer shot and wounded a suspect Saturday evening on the Paviljoensgracht in The Hague following a report of a threat. The incident led to six arrests and triggered an investigation by the Rijksrecherche, the independent unit that reviews police use of force, AD reports.
Police received the report around 6:15 p.m. and responded to the scene with multiple officers. Upon arrival, they encountered several suspects. According to a police spokesperson, one shot was fired during the confrontation, injuring one of the suspects. The wounded individual was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The exact nature of the threat that prompted the emergency response has not yet been disclosed.
The area was reportedly tense and active as residents and bystanders reacted to the sudden violence. Aad, a resident of Paviljoensgracht, told AD he was inside when he heard gunfire. “I heard four shots. A lot of people went outside to look. That’s the dumbest thing you can do when you hear shots,” he said. Police later confirmed only one shot was fired.
A neighbor across from Aad also heard the gunfire. “I was still enjoying dinner. Then I decided to check what was going on,” he told AD, holding a cigarette. He said he did not hear anyone scream but saw several people running outside his window.
At the nearby Stille Veerkade, another resident said she had just arrived home after the incident. “I think I got home just after something happened. Things like this happen all the time on this street. It’s kind of normal,” she told AD. She admitted that repeated incidents in the neighborhood made her feel less safe.
Both the Paviljoensgracht and the Stille Veerkade were completely sealed off by authorities following the shooting. The six suspects taken into custody have not yet been publicly identified, and the motive behind the threat remains unclear. Police say many details are still unknown, and the Rijksrecherche investigation is ongoing.
