The fight against global warming, the first objective of the new government

It is a record: ten months will have been necessary after the elections for the Netherlands to equip itself with a new executive. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s fourth consecutive coalition government was inaugurated on Monday, with promises of major investments in the fight against climate change.

The new government, dubbed “Rutte IV”, wants to build two nuclear power plants and plans to spend 35 billion euros over 10 years on global warming – a major threat for the Netherlands, a third of whose territory is below the level. from the sea. However, in the shorter term, one of the first tasks of the government will be to decide whether to extend the “containment” in force until Friday in the country, where the Covid-19 contaminations reach record levels.

Objective: carbon neutrality in 2050

“The corona is not yet gone, but there are of course other major problems as well,” Mark Rutte said on Twitter after the new government’s first Council of Ministers, citing the need to build new housing, the security as well as plans for climate change in a country heavily dependent on gas.

Above all, for the first time, the Netherlands will have a Minister for Climate and Energy, in the person of Rob Jetten, 34 years old. The executive further stated the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. “The government must catch up on climate change,” said Rob Jetten, acknowledging a “considerable” task.

A record number of women

The new government, invested in an official ceremony at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, has a record number of women, 14 out of a total of 29 ministers and secretaries of state. Out of 20 ministers, 10 are women. One of the most important posts went to Sigrid Kaag, the first female finance minister, who, suffering from the coronavirus, was sworn in by video conference, also a first in the Netherlands. His predecessor Wopke Hoekstra becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In the face of ambient skepticism, Mark Rutte promised a fresh start, despite being Prime Minister since 2010, making him the second longest-serving European Union leader, after Hungarian Viktor Orban. Despite a record 271 days of negotiations after the legislative elections in mid-March, the coalition is made up of the same four parties as in the last government: the center-right VVD of Mark Rutte, the center-left D66, the center-CDA law and Christen United (conservatives).