Provincial Government Collapses After Fundamental Disagreement

The coalition in the province of Groningen has collapsed, after disagreements about what constitutes a “trustworthy government”. 

In a debate about the construction of a wind farm near the Eemshaven, a seaport in the province of Groningen, the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), a right-wing farmer’s party, and two representatives of Groninger Interest, a regionalist party, have voted against the wishes of their coalition partners.

Their partners in government, the Christian Union (CU), a conservative, Christian party, and the Labour Party (PvdA), a left-wing, social-democratic party, consider this to be a serious violation of their outline agreement.

Green Energy Disagreement

The four parties of the coalition in the provincial council in Groningen had agreed to not make new plans for wind farms. However, these parties disagree on whether it was part of the agreement to continue developing existing plans for wind farms.  

The plans for this particular wind farm have existed for several years. Therefore, the CU and the PvdA were expecting their coalition partners to accept these plans. When the BBB and two representatives of Groninger Interest voted against the construction of the wind farm, CU said that this was not an example of a “trustworthy government”, and decided to end the collaboration. 

“It is also a shame, but it was necessary”

“I think this was a very good decision,” Fredric Geijtenbeek, faction leader of the Christian Union, tells The Glass Room. “It is also a shame, but it was necessary.” Van Geijtenbeek says that a trustworthy government should live up to its agreements and that the coalition would have worked only if all parties would have done this. 

“For now, we have to split up properly, and work together to find a new coalition in our province,” the CU politician says, “The Christian Union would be willing to be a part of the coalition again, but only with parties who also want a trustworthy government.”

“We have a fundamental disagreement about what a trustworthy government is.”

Faction leader of the Farmer-Citizen Movement, Gouke Moes says that is a “real shame” that the coalition collapsed, because it was “not necessary”. 

“We were happy about the collaboration,” Moes says, “We knew the consequences of our vote in this debate, but we did not want to let go of our principles, and neither did the Christian Union. It appears that we have a fundamental disagreement about what a trustworthy government is.” 

In addition, Moes says that his party is “willing to take responsibility again”, and to be part of a new coalition. “We are open to any party that we can reach an agreement with.”

City Impacted

The collapse of the coalition also has an effect on a more local level. Joren van Veen, faction leader of the Labour Party in the city council of the city of Groningen, says that half of the population of the province lives in the eponymous city. Therefore, provincial politics can directly influence important issues in the city, Van Veen explains. 

“It will probably not affect us in a short term, but the province and the city do need to work together on important issues, such as the energy transition and the housing crisis,” Van Veen says, “With a new coalition, we have to see again how we can work together.”