# Second Rutte cabinet

* This article is part of a series aboutMark Rutte
Political career
Prime Minister (2010–2024)
Party Leader of the VVD (2006–2023)
2006 party leadership election
Secretary for Education, Culture and Science (2004–2006)
Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment (2002–2004)
Member of the House of Representatives
2006 general election
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
International trips
First Ministry and term
2010 general election
2010 cabinet formation
Rutte I
Second Ministry and term
2012 general election
Rutte II
Association Agreement referendum
Third Ministry and term
2017 general election
2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident
2017 cabinet formation
Rutte III
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
Intelligence and Security Services referendum
COVID-19 pandemic
Frugal Four
Fourth Ministry and term
2021 general election
2021–2022 cabinet formation
Rutte IV
Dutch childcare benefits scandal
Nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands
Affiliations
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy
Media gallery :
vte :
The second Rutte cabinet, also called the Rutte–Asscher cabinet, was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 5 November 2012 until 26 October 2017. The cabinet was formed by the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) after the election of 2012. The cabinet was a centrist grand coalition and had a slim majority in the House of Representatives. VVD Leader Mark Rutte served as Prime Minister; prominent PvdA politician Lodewijk Asscher, a former alderman of Amsterdam, served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment.
The cabinet served in the middle of the 2010s. Domestically, it had to deal with the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster, in which 193 Dutch citizens on board were killed when that civilian aircraft was shot down over Ukraine by a surface-to-air missile; while internationally, climate change was a major point of attention. The cabinet suffered several major internal conflicts such as multiple cabinet resignations, including those of two Justice Ministers. The cabinet completed its entire term, and was succeeded by the third Rutte cabinet following the 2017 election. Having spent four years and 355 days in office, it is the longest-serving post-war cabinet in the Netherlands.

## Cabinet members

| Ministers | Ministers | Ministers | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Term of office | Party |
| | | Mark Rutte (born 1967) | Prime Minister | General Affairs | | 14 October 2010 – Incumbent | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Dr. Lodewijk Asscher (born 1974) | Deputy Prime Minister | Social Affairs and Employment | | 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
| | | Dr. Lodewijk Asscher (born 1974) | Minister | Social Affairs and Employment | | 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
| | | Dr. Ronald Plasterk (born 1957) | Minister | Interior and Kingdom Relations | | 5 November 2012 – 29 June 2016 | Labour Party |
| | | Stef Blok (born 1964) | Minister | Interior and Kingdom Relations | | 29 June 2016 – 16 September 2016 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Dr. Ronald Plasterk (born 1957) | Minister | Interior and Kingdom Relations | | 16 September 2016 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
| | | Frans Timmermans (born 1961) | Minister | Foreign Affairs | | 5 November 2012 – 17 October 2014 | Labour Party |
| | | Bert Koenders (born 1958) | Minister | Foreign Affairs | | 17 October 2014 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
| | | Jeroen Dijsselbloem (born 1966) | Minister | Finance | | 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
| | | Ivo Opstelten (born 1944) | Minister | Security and Justice | | 14 October 2010 – 10 March 2015 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Stef Blok (born 1964) | Minister | Security and Justice | | 10 March 2015 – 20 March 2015 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Ard van der Steur (born 1969) | Minister | Security and Justice | | 20 March 2015 – 27 January 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Stef Blok (born 1964) | Minister | Security and Justice | | 27 January 2017 – 26 October 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Henk Kamp (born 1952) | Minister | Economic Affairs | | 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Jeanine Hennis- Plasschaert (born 1973) | Minister | Defence | | 5 November 2012 – 4 October 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Dr. Klaas Dijkhoff (born 1981) | Minister | Defence | | 4 October 2017 – 26 October 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Edith Schippers (born 1964) | Minister | Health, Welfare and Sport | | 14 October 2010 – 26 October 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Dr. Jet Bussemaker (born 1961) | Minister | Education, Culture and Science | | 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
| | | Melanie Schultz van Haegen (born 1970) | Minister | Infrastructure and the Environment | | 14 October 2010 – 26 October 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| Ministers without portfolio | Ministers without portfolio | Ministers without portfolio | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Term of office | Party |
| | | Stef Blok (born 1964) | Minister | Interior and Kingdom Relations | • State-owned Businesses • Independent Government Agencies • Rijksvastgoedbedrijf [nl] | 5 November 2012 – 27 January 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Lilianne Ploumen (born 1962) | Minister | Foreign Affairs | • Trade and Export • Development Cooperation | 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
| State Secretaries | State Secretaries | State Secretaries | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Term of office | Party |
| | | Frans Weekers (born 1967) | State Secretary | Finance | • Fiscal Policy • Tax and Customs • Governmental Budget | 14 October 2010 – 30 January 2014 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Eric Wiebes (born 1963) | State Secretary | Finance | • Fiscal Policy • Tax and Customs • Governmental Budget | 4 February 2014 – 26 October 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Fred Teeven (born 1958) | State Secretary | Security and Justice | • Immigration and Asylum • Integration • Public Prosecution • Civil Law • Property Law • Victims' Rights • Judicial Reform • Youth Justice • Penitentiaries • Debt • Gambling • Minorities | 14 October 2010 – 10 March 2015 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Dr. Klaas Dijkhoff (born 1981) | State Secretary | Security and Justice | • Immigration and Asylum • Integration • Public Prosecution • Civil Law • Property Law • Victims' Rights • Judicial Reform • Youth Justice • Penitentiaries • Debt • Gambling • Minorities | 20 March 2015 – 4 October 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Dr. Co Verdaas (born 1966) | State Secretary | Economic Affairs | • Agriculture • Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit [nl] • Nature • Fisheries • Forestry • Animal Welfare • Tourism | 5 November 2012 – 6 December 2012 | Labour Party |
| | | Sharon Dijksma (born 1971) | State Secretary | Economic Affairs | • Agriculture • Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit [nl] • Nature • Fisheries • Forestry • Animal Welfare • Tourism | 18 December 2012 – 3 November 2015 | Labour Party |
| | | Martijn van Dam (born 1978) | State Secretary | Economic Affairs | • Agriculture • Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit [nl] • Nature • Fisheries • Forestry • Animal Welfare • Tourism | 3 November 2015 – 1 September 2017 | Labour Party |
| | Martin van Rijn | Martin van Rijn (born 1956) | State Secretary | Health, Welfare and Sport | • Elderly Care • Youth Care • Disability Policy • Medical Ethics • Pharmaceutical Policy | 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
| | | Jetta Klijnsma (born 1957) | State Secretary | Social Affairs and Employment | • Social Security • Unemployment • Occupational Safety • Social Services • Equality • Emancipation | 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
| | | Sander Dekker (born 1975) | State Secretary | Education, Culture and Science | • Higher Education • Science Policy • Media • Culture • Art | 5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017 | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| | | Wilma Mansveld (born 1962) | State Secretary | Infrastructure and the Environment | • Public Transport • Aviation • Rail Transport • Environmental Policy • Weather Forecasting | 5 November 2012 – 28 October 2015 | Labour Party |
| | | Sharon Dijksma (born 1971) | State Secretary | Infrastructure and the Environment | • Public Transport • Aviation • Rail Transport • Environmental Policy • Weather Forecasting | 3 November 2015 – 26 October 2017 | Labour Party |
    $^{Resigned}$
    $^{Retainedfromthepreviouscabinet}$
    $^{Continuedinthenextcabinet}$
    $^{Acting}$
    $^{AdInterim}$
    $^{DesignatedwiththediplomaticrankofMinister}$
    $^{Medicalleaveofabsencefrom29June2016until16September2016}$
    $^{AppointedasEuropeanCommissioner}$
    $^{AppointedasMinisterofSecurityandJustice}$
    $^{AppointedasMinisterofDefence}$
    $^{AppointedasStateSecretaryforInfrastructureandtheEnvironment}$

### Changes

On 6 December 2012, just 31 days after taking office, State Secretary for Economic Affairs Co Verdaas (PvdA) resigned after he was accused of making inappropriate declarations when he served as a Member of the Provincial-Executive of Gelderland. He was replaced as State Secretary for Economic Affairs by former State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science Sharon Dijksma (PvdA) on 18 December 2012.
On 17 October 2014 Minister of Foreign Affairs Frans Timmermans (PvdA) resigned after he was nominated as the next European Commissioner succeeding Neelie Kroes. He was replaced as Minister of Foreign Affairs by Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations in Mali and former Minister for Development Cooperation Bert Koenders (PvdA).
On 10 March 2015 Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten (VVD) and State Secretary for Security and Justice Fred Teeven (VVD) resigned after it was discovered that Fred Teeven when he served as a Prosecutor authorized the return of 4.7 million guilders to convicted drugs dealer Cees H. in 2000 without the knowledge of his superior or the tax office.
On 4 October 2017 Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (VVD) resigned following a critical report by the Dutch Safety Board into the investigation of the accidental deaths of two Army soldiers who died following the use of old ammunition during a Mortar test during the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. She was replaced as Minister of Defence by State Secretary for Security and Justice Klaas Dijkhoff (VVD) who served out the remaining three weeks before the installation of the new cabinet.