# Schoof cabinet

The Schoof cabinet is the current cabinet of the Netherlands, sworn in on 2 July 2024. Led by independent politician and civil servant Dick Schoof as prime minister of the Netherlands, the cabinet was formed by the Party for Freedom (PVV), the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the New Social Contract (NSC) and the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB) after the 2023 Dutch general election.

## Formation

Under informateurs Elbert Dijkgraaf and Richard van Zwol, the four parties (the right-wing populist PVV, the conservative liberal VVD, the Christian democratic NSC, and the agrarian BBB) reached the outline of a coalition agreement, titled "Hope, Courage, and Pride", on 16 May 2024. They agreed to form an extra-parliamentary cabinet, which they defined as a cabinet with a greater distance to parliamentary groups in the House of Representatives. Votes in parliament of coalition parties were not bound on issues not covered in the agreement, such as pensions, as long as they would not impact the budget. Van Zwol was appointed formateur on 22 May. On 11 June, the four parties agreed on the names of candidates and the distribution of ministerial posts. The cabinet consists of 29 members, the same amount as its predecessor, of which 16 are ministers. Three new ministerial posts were created, the Minister of Asylum and Migration, the Minister of Climate and Green Growth, and the Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning; and it includes one minister without portfolio, namely the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. The cabinet was sworn in on 2 July 2024.
Following the formation, the cabinet was tasked with expanding the outline of the coalition agreement into a governing agreement. It was finalized by the Council of Ministers on 6 September 2024 and presented on 13 September, ahead of the presentation of the 2025 Netherlands budget on Prinsjesdag. The Netherlands Bar [nl] concluded in October 2024 that nine proposals, including the declaration of an asylum crisis, violated the principles of the rule of law, while another 28 were considered risks. Six proposals, such as the "right to make a mistake", could strengthen the rule of law.

## Term
### Asylum

The coalition agreement included plans to issue a "well-substantiated" statutory instrument to suspend certain provisions of the Aliens Act and to introduce an Asylum Crisis Act without delay. It was agreed that no new asylum applications would be processed and that the Dispersal Act would be revoked. The coalition parties called their migration policy the most stringent and extensive in history. In October 2024, the coalition parties agreed that the proposal to use emergency powers would be abandoned, and new legislation would be introduced to enact asylum measures, most of which were outlined in the coalition agreement, along with some additional provisions.
In a September 2024 letter to the European Commission, Minister of Asylum and Migration Marjolein Faber requested an opt-out for the Netherlands from European asylum and migration legislation in case of a treaty amendment. Such an exception can only be granted by the European Council, and the Commission responded that no treaty amendments were pending. Hungary later joined the Netherlands in requesting an opt-out.

### Budgeting

Several financial setbacks arose after coalition parties had settled on the budget in their coalition agreement, and the Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) concluded in August 2024 that government finances would deteriorate in absence of intervention. The leaders of the coalition parties met that same month with the cabinet to finalize the 2025 budget. During talks, NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt threatened to withhold support, because he believed the unemployed and pensioners did not sufficiently benefit. This would have led to the fall of the cabinet.
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, coalition parties agreed to increase defense spending to adhere to the NATO target of 2% of GDP. Minister Ruben Brekelmans and State Secretary Gijs Tuinman announced €2.4 billion in increased yearly funding for the Netherlands Armed Forces in September 2024. This would go towards attracting more personnel and the purchase of munitions, 46 Leopard 2A8 battle tanks, six F-35 fighter jets, two Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigates, and several NH90 military helicopters. The Netherlands had been left without tanks since 2011 because of budget cuts. In addition, a further €2.6 billion was allocated towards the purchase of short- and medium-range air defense systems.
To decrease the projected budget deficit, cuts for development aid and education were planned as well as an increase in the sales tax on hotel stays, sports, culture, books, and newspapers from 9% to 21% starting in 2026. Opposition parties, holding a majority in the Senate, threatened to block the tax plan because of their opposition to the latter measure. Minister of Finance Eelco Heinen ultimately committed to seeking an alternative to the proposed tax increase on sports, culture, books, and newspapers before its effective date. The measure remained in the plan to avoid a €1.2 billion annual funding gap. Regarding development aid, renamed from "development cooperation" by, the Schoof cabinet intended to cut the yearly allocated budget by €2.4 billion, over a third of its total, starting in 2027. The percentage of the budget spent on sheltering asylum seekers in the Netherlands would be contained to 10%, and aid related to water management and food security would be prioritized.
The cabinet intended to cut funding education by €2 billion, half of which for higher education and science. The latter would be achieved through lowering the number of international students, increasing tuition for students exceeding the standard duration, reducing money allocated to the Fund for Research and Science, and scrapping research grants. The latter had been created by the previous cabinet. The plans sparked a protest, and opposition parties presented alternative proposals in November 2024. To gain Senate support, coalition parties negotiated with centrist and conservative parties, calling themselves the "unholy alliance". After two weeks, an agreement was struck to reduce the €2 billion cut by €750 million. The Dutch Student Union was relieved that the proposed tuition increase for students exceeding the standard duration was reversed, while Universities of the Netherlands called scientific research the biggest loser of the compromise.

### November 2024 Amsterdam riots

In the wake of the November 2024 Amsterdam riots, in which supporters of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. were targeted, Schoof said that he was "ashamed" and "horrified by the antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens." Following an 11 November Council of Ministers meeting, he blamed a specific group of young people with a migration background for the attacks, and he said that the events pointed to a broader integration issue. Integration state secretary Jurgen Nobel stated that a significant portion of Islamic youth did not endorse Dutch norms and values.
On 15 November, State Secretary Nora Achahbar announced her resignation citing "polarizing interactions during the past weeks." Reports circulated of offensive, radical, and potentially racist remarks about the Amsterdam attacks during the Council of Ministers meeting. Schoof invited the leaders of the four coalition parties to join the cabinet for crisis talks to avert a cabinet collapse, and they finally agreed that other cabinet members of NSC would stay on. Schoof denied allegations of racism within the cabinet and coalition parties, and he refused to release minutes of the meeting, which opposition parties had requested. Achahbar later denied that her departure was because of racism, and members of parliament Rosanne Hertzberger and Femke Zeedijk of NSC resigned in her support. Achahbar was replaced by Sandra Palmen.

### Cabinet changes

State Secretary for Tax Affairs and the Tax Administration Folkert Idsinga (NSC) resigned on 1 November 2024, citing a perceived lack of trust by the House. PVV leader Geert Wilders had joined opposition parties in demanding transparency about Idsinga's retirement savings, which included business interests and could create conflicts of interest. His savings, valued at over €6 million in 2023, were managed by a foundation for the duration of his term, and Idsinga refused to provide more visibility, citing his privacy. Idsinga was succeeded by Tjebbe van Oostenbruggen.

### Agriculture and nitrogen crisis

The Netherlands had been mandated by the European Union to stop the deterioration of nature in Natura 2000 sites by 2030, and goals with regard to nitrogen deposition had been enshrined in national legislation. The coalition agreement reduced the fund allocated towards addressing the nitrogen crisis from €25 billion to €5 billion. In September 2024, Minister Femke Wiersma terminated the National Program for Rural Areas, which had been created by the fourth Rutte cabinet in response to the crisis and which tasked provinces with devising plans to improve the quality of nature and water based on a national fund.
Wiersma presented the outline of her alternative plans and a provisional breakdown of the €5 billion in funding in late November 2024. The cabinet aimed to increase agricultural lands designated as nature reserves from 100,000 ha (250,000 acres) to 280,000 ha (690,000 acres) by expanding subsidies for farmers. The cabinet allocated between €1.25 billion and €2.5 billion towards innovations to reduce nitrogen emissions, and it planned to set emissions targets for farms instead of prescribing certain measures. The same amount would be available for a voluntary buyout scheme for farmers considering to leave the sector. Furthermore, Wiersma plans to postpone enforcement of nitrogen emissions regulations for a group of farmers left without a permit due to a 2019 Court of State ruling for another three years. The Netherlands Agricultural and Horticultural Association [nl] responded that farmers would remain uncertain about their future because of the latter.
In December 2024, the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State ruled that unused nitrogen emission rights could no longer be allocated to other construction and expansion projects. Instead, a new permit would be required. The judgement retroactively invalidated such usage of the rights during the past five years, and Schoof established a committee comprising several cabinet members to explore measures to prevent widespread project delays.

## Cabinet type

The coalition parties agreed to form an extra-parliamentary cabinet. In particular, Pieter Omtzigt, the leader of NSC, had insisted on an alternative to the typical majority cabinet after having campaigned on a "new governance culture" in the election. An extra-parliamentary cabinet would be defined by greater distance between the cabinet and the parliamentary groups of coalition parties in the House of Representatives. Informateur Kim Putters recommended the formation of an "extra-parliamentary program cabinet", meaning the coalition parties would draft a shorter coalition agreement, which the cabinet would later expand into a governing agreement.
A few months after its creation, newspaper NRC concluded the Schoof cabinet no longer resembled an extra-parliamentary cabinet. It noted that frequent talks occurred between parliamentary leaders and cabinet members and that coalition parties negotiated with the cabinet about the 2025 budget. Political scientist Arco Timmermans agreed the cabinet could not be considered extra-parliamentary, saying that more effort from parliamentary leaders would be required to keep distance. Wim Voermans, another political scientists, argued that a cabinet could only be extra-parliamentary if there would have been no involvement from the parliament in its formation and the drafting of its agreement.
When asked about responsibilities, Schoof replied that the cabinet handles primary issues, while parliamentary leaders logically take the lead on matters outlined in the coalition agreement.

## Cabinet members

The party affiliations shown below indicate the party by which a cabinet member was given. Some cabinet members are a member of a different party or of no party.
Prime minister and deputy prime ministers in the Schoof cabinet :
| Title | Minister | Minister | Minister | Minister | Term of office | Term of office |
| Title | Image | Name | Party | Party | Start | End |
| Prime Minister | Dick Schoof | Dick Schoof | | Indep. | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| First Deputy Prime Minister | Fleur Agema | Fleur Agema | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Second Deputy Prime Minister | Sophie Hermans | Sophie Hermans | | VVD | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Third Deputy Prime Minister | Eddy van Hijum | Eddy van Hijum | | NSC | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Fourth Deputy Prime Minister | Mona Keijzer | Mona Keijzer | | BBB | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
Ministers in the Schoof cabinet :
| Title | Minister | Minister | Minister | Minister | Term of office | Term of office |
| Title | Image | Name | Party | Party | Start | End |
| Minister of General Affairs | Dick Schoof | Dick Schoof | | Indep. | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport | Fleur Agema | Fleur Agema | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth | Sophie Hermans | Sophie Hermans | | VVD | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Social Affairs and Employment | Eddy van Hijum | Eddy van Hijum | | NSC | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning | Mona Keijzer | Mona Keijzer | | BBB | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Caspar Veldkamp | Caspar Veldkamp | | NSC | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Justice and Security | David van Weel | David van Weel | | VVD | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations | Judith Uitermark | Judith Uitermark | | NSC | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Education, Culture and Science | Eppo Bruins | Eppo Bruins | | NSC | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Finance | Eelco Heinen | Eelco Heinen | | VVD | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Defence | Ruben Brekelmans | Ruben Brekelmans | | VVD | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management | | Barry Madlener | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Economic Affairs | | Dirk Beljaarts | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature | | Femke Wiersma | | BBB | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Asylum and Migration | Marjolein Faber | Marjolein Faber | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Minister for Foreign Trade and Development | Reinette Klever | Reinette Klever | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
State secretaries in the Schoof cabinet :
| Ministry | Title | State secretary | State secretary | State secretary | State secretary | Term of office | Term of office |
| Ministry | Title | Image | Name | Party | Party | Start | End |
| Justice and Security | State Secretary for Justice and Security | | Ingrid Coenradie | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Justice and Security | State Secretary for Legal Protection | Teun Struycken | Teun Struycken | | Indep. | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Interior and Kingdom Relations | State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitalisation | Zsolt Szabó | Zsolt Szabó | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Interior and Kingdom Relations | State Secretary for Reparations for Groningen | | Eddie van Marum | | BBB | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Education, Culture and Science | State Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education and Equal Opportunities | Mariëlle Paul | Mariëlle Paul | | VVD | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Finance | State Secretary for Tax Affairs and the Tax Administration | | Folkert Idsinga | | NSC | 2 July 2024 | 1 November 2024 |
| Finance | State Secretary for Tax Affairs and the Tax Administration | Tjebbe van Oostenbruggen | Tjebbe van Oostenbruggen | | NSC | 15 November 2024 | Incumbent |
| Finance | State Secretary for Benefits and Customs | | Nora Achahbar | | NSC | 2 July 2024 | 15 November 2024 |
| Finance | State Secretary for Benefits and Redress | | Sandra Palmen | | NSC | 12 December 2024 | Incumbent |
| Defence | State Secretary for Defence | Gijs Tuinman | Gijs Tuinman | | BBB | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Infrastructure and Water Management | State Secretary for Public Transport and the Environment | | Chris Jansen | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature | State Secretary for Fisheries, Food Security and Nature | Jean Rummenie | Jean Rummenie | | BBB | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Social Affairs and Employment | State Secretary for Participation and Integration | | Jurgen Nobel | | VVD | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Health, Welfare and Sport | State Secretary for Long-term and Social Care | | Vicky Maeijer | | PVV | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
| Health, Welfare and Sport | State Secretary for Youth, Prevention and Sport | Vincent Karremans | Vincent Karremans | | VVD | 2 July 2024 | Incumbent |
* ↑ Minister without portfolio within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
* ↑ Teun Struycken joined the cabinet on behalf of New Social Contract, but is not affiliated with the party.