The outgoing cabinet must stick to the five-party austerity agreement worked out in the spring, Alexander Pechtold, leader of the D66 Liberal democrats, said on Tuesday.

The agreement forms the basis of the 2013 budget but many of the proposals are likely to be changed when the new coalition is put together. For example, the tax on travel expenses has been rejected by four of the parties which drew up the plans.
‘If the VVD and PvdA remove important pieces from next year’s budget, D66’s enthusiasm for supporting them with regard to the rest of the budget will wane,’ Pechtold said.
Europe
Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration PVV, said the speech was very pro-Europe. ‘It is a very surrealistic day. We don’t know what is going on,’ he said.
‘The queen did not have much new to add. But what she did say can probably be thrown in the bin today or tomorrow now the VVD and PvdA are talking about forming a new cabinet.’
Bernard Wientjes, leader of the employers’ organisation VNO-NCW, told reporters he welcomed the tone of the speech because it is pro-Europe.