NSC MP Daniëlle Jansen has been named as the new minister for health in the caretaker Dutch government after Geert Wilders pulled the far-right PVV out of the coalition.

Jansen, 54, will take over the role of Fleur Agema after the three remaining parties – VVD, NSC and BBB – made a deal to divide up the vacant PVV posts.

She will take over the task of finding through €315 million worth of savings after parliament rejected Agema’s initial plan, which included cutting €165 million from the budget for additional training for medical specialists.

Jansen was a teacher and researcher at the UMCG academic hospital in Groningen before becoming an MP in 2023. She tabled a draft law last year calling for children born after 2012 to be banned from buying cigarettes and vapes in an effort to create a “smoke-free” generation.

Reinette Klever’s role as minister for foreign trade and development aid is being split between two NSC junior ministers. Career diplomat Hanneke Boerma has been appointed to handle foreign trade while development aid is being added to the portfolio of the junior minister for legal protection, Teun Struycken.

VVD reshuffle

The VVD has reshuffled its team, with junior health minister Vincent Karremans replacing Dirk Beljaarts as economic affairs minister while MP Judith Thielen takes over Karremans’ old post.

VVD MP Thierry Aartsen will become junior infrastructure minister, taking over from Chris Jansen. The farmers’ party BBB still has to name a senior minister to replace Barry Madlener, but NSC quoted sources in The Hague who said the party was lining up Robert Tieman from Delfland water board.

BBB is also expected to appoint Nicki Pouw-Verweij as junior minister for long-term care. Pouw-Verweij, 34, started her career as a senator for the far-right Forum voor Democratie (FVD) party before joining a breakaway group that later joined JA21.

In September 2023, now representing JA21 in the lower house, she switched allegiances again, this time to the BBB, where she has remained ever since.