AMSTERDAM: The freshly-installed Dutch government will re-open coalition talks to address concerns about healthcare cost increases, an unpopular austerity policy, media reported yesterday.
The decision to break open a coalition agreement is not likely to cause a government collapse but, coming just four days after the cabinet was sworn in, it is not an auspicious start for the politicians who had promised stability.
The development highlights the challenges facing Liberal Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his Labour coalition partners as they seek nearly ¤16bn ($20bn) of budget cuts that will hit the spending power of more than half of Dutch households.
The right-of-centre Liberals and left-of-centre Labour will re-negotiate the plan to raise healthcare premiums paid by citizens, Labour leader Diederik Samsom was quoted by national broadcaster NOS as saying. He said the broad outlines of the government programme, including fiscal targets, would remain unaffected. Reuters
