Photo by Andres Bartelsman on Unsplash
The European Green Party has demanded that the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE),”take measures” towards the liberal party VVD, following the Dutch government coalition deal the VVD concluded with Geert Wilders’ “far-right” PVV.
Last week, the Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), the party of incumbent Dutch PM Mark Rutte, agreed to a coalition deal to form a government led by the Partij Voor Vrijheid (PVV) of Dutch firebrand Geert Wilders.
This move, says the Green, by the Dutch Liberals is in “sharp contradiction” with a recent joint declaration of the European parliament’ leaders of the Greens, Socialists, the Left, and the Liberals.
This called for a united rejection of any collaboration with far-right parties.
Terry Reintke, European Green leading candidate, reacted: “Supporting a government led by a far-right party is a dramatic breach of the democratic cordon sanitaire around the far right, and in sharp contradiction with last week’s joint declaration, and with ALDE’s stated commitments.
“We demand that ALDE and Renew Europe do not let VVD’s decision, which is of grave historical significance, pass without consequences for their Dutch member party.”
“As pro-European democrats, we cannot stay silent when liberal and conservative parties team up with the far-right to form a government.”
The European parliament group of the European People’s Party, EPP group, refused to sign the declaration of the Parliament group leaders, said the Greens.
The other two parties of the Dutch far-right government, Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC), and Boer-Burger Beweging (BBB), both reportedly intend to join the EPP group, it is claimed.
Bas Eickhout, European Green leading candidate, said: “The European Greens also call on the EPP, the party of Ursula von der Leyen, to not admit NSC and BBB in the EPP family, because they govern together with a member of the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID)”.
