Right-wing government in the Netherlands sworn in by the king

In a ceremony today in the Huis ten Bosch residential palace near The Hague, the ministers and state secretaries took the oath ("so help me God Almighty") or a corresponding secular vow in front of King Willem-Alexander.

The four-party coalition is largely controlled by Wilders, although he is not a member of the cabinet himself. The new alliance partners of the Wilders-led Party for Freedom (PVV) had made his resignation from office a condition for their participation in government. The Prime Minister is now the former head of the secret service and anti-terrorism agency, Dick Schoof, who is not affiliated with any party. His predecessor, the long-standing head of government Mark Rutte, will become Secretary General of NATO in October.

Hardly any government experience

Like the 67-year-old Schoof, most of the other cabinet members have hardly any government experience. This is another reason why the new alliance is considered potentially unstable. Only Mark Rutte's right-wing liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) can draw on practical experience from many years of government participation in various coalitions.

New to the government alongside the PVV are the center-right party Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC, roughly: New Social Contract) and the populist Farmers' Citizens' Movement (BBB), which emerged from the massive farmers' protests of recent years.

The VVD and NSC had only reluctantly agreed to a coalition with Wilders. During the months of coalition negotiations, he not only had to relinquish the post of head of government, but also put his most radical right-wing populist and Islamophobic demands on ice - including those for the Netherlands to leave the EU ("Nexit") and for the Koran to be banned.

Shift to the right with consequences for the EU?

The EU Commission in Brussels - as well as in Berlin, Paris and other capitals - is watching with suspicion what consequences the strong shift to the right in The Hague will have for Europe. Until now, the country had been one of the strongest pillars of the EU. Now, however, there are fears that the Netherlands could pull out of the EU asylum pact, which, in addition to asylum procedures at the EU's external borders, provides for a more even distribution of migrants among the member states. The new coalition has declared its intention to pursue the strictest asylum policy in the whole of Europe and drastically restrict immigration.

Differences with other EU members are also emerging with regard to climate policy, in particular the implementation of the "Green Deal". The BBB, which relies on the support of farmers, is calling for a considerable relaxation of environmental regulations. There could also be a dispute over the level of the Dutch EU contribution.

Government plans only roughly outlined

However, it will only become clear in the coming weeks what specific goals the new government in The Hague intends to pursue. So far, there is only a coalition agreement in which plans are roughly outlined. According to commentators, considerable political differences could still emerge.