(Bloomberg) — The Dutch government announced it could either not agree with or abstain from voting on parts of the European Union’s latest defense spending proposals.
The cabinet will “firmly and sharply assess a number of the future proposals” with “Dutch interests” in mind, the ministers of Defense, Finance and Foreign Affairs said in a joint letter to parliament on Friday.
The letter follows an emergency meeting on Thursday between Prime Minister Dick Schoof and representatives of the four coalition parties about an EU rearmament plan to mobilize €800 billion in aid of the bloc’s defense. This meeting was sparked by a non-binding resolution in the Dutch parliament earlier this week opposing the plan. Three coalition parties voiced their opposition specifically to joint EU loans.
EU leaders are gathering for a summit next week to discuss the plan proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. As President Donald Trump has signaled the US’s potential withdrawal from its commitment to European security, von der Leyen said the extra spending is needed to boost European capabilities in areas such as air and missile defense, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition.
Once the EU executive officially submits its proposals, the Dutch ministers will send the Parliament “a detailed assessment of the plans before irreversible steps are taken,” according to the letter. While the cabinet continues to “adopt a constructive position in the European Council,” it also sees this as an opportunity to ‘”exert maximum influence on the handling of the individual proposals in the interests of the Netherlands.”
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