Four-party coalition negotiations to continue after Easter break

Prime minister Mark Rutte takes selfies  on his way to the talks. Photo: Phil Nijhuis

Four-party talks on forming a new government for the Netherlands have begun tackling issues such as healthcare, defence, aid, foreign policy, climate change and security, chief negotiator Edith Schippers told reporters on Wednesday evening.

The VVD and D66 liberal parties, the Christian Democrats and the left-wing greens Groenlinks have been talking about forming a new coalition since the election on March 15.

Schippers told reporters that despite claims the parties are still in exploratory talks, they are serious about forming a new alliance, even though they have major differences of opinion on some subjects.

‘These four parties are really trying to form a coalition with each other,’ she said.

Talks will not take place again until next Tuesday because GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver is spending time with his mother who was unexpectedly taken to hospital.

The talks are taking place in a positive atmosphere and there is trust between the parties, Schippers said. ‘If this was not the case, I would have recommended stopping the negotiations,’ she said.

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