Recently, the new political alliance in the Netherlands unanimously nominated former intelligence agency chief Dick Schoof as the Prime Minister. The new government is expected to officially begin operations at the end of June, at which time Schoof will take office.
The four alliance parties forming the government, namely the Freedom Party (PVV), People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), New Social Contract Party (NSC), and Farmers Party (BBB), met with Dick Schoof on May 31st. Following the meeting, they held a press conference announcing his appointment as Prime Minister.
At 67 years old, Schoof currently serves as the highest-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice and Security. He has previously led the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), the Counterterrorism Agency (NCTV), and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). Schoof recently left the Labour Party (PvdA) for reasons not disclosed, and now identifies as an independent. He reiterated during the press conference that he is willing to serve as the new Prime Minister while maintaining his non-partisan stance and not aligning with any political party.
Schoof acknowledged that many were surprised by his nomination. He expressed concerns similar to those of the public regarding immigration, asylum and refugee issues, social security, the status of all citizens (including farmers), and international security. He praised the alliance agreement proposed by the four parties, stating it will be a successful partnership for all the people in the Netherlands.
According to Reuters, as a former head of intelligence and immigration agencies, Schoof appears to be an ideal candidate to implement the new government’s “most stringent asylum policy in Dutch history” and counter organized crime.
After 175 days of negotiations, the four-party alliance presented their “main policy agreement.” The agreement includes plans to significantly reduce asylum seekers in the Netherlands, address housing shortages, improve the business environment, and other initiatives. These plans will be funded through various tax increases and budget cuts, including raising the VAT on books, concerts, and sports event tickets from 9% to 21%.
Traditionally, the Prime Minister is selected from the largest party in the coalition. However, the leaders of the parties in the four-party alliance reached a consensus that none of their party leaders would become the new Prime Minister. Geert Wilders, the leader of the Freedom Party who received the most votes in the election, expressed disappointment but accepted the decision.
As the former intelligence chief, Schoof is well-versed in the threats posed by Chinese network hackers. In April 2019, the AIVD recommended in its annual report to the Dutch government to refrain from using technology and equipment for frequent cyber attacks originating from China and Russia. The AIVD further warned that digital espionage attempts from China and Russia pose significant threats to cybersecurity.
In November 2019, Schoof delivered a keynote speech at the Dutch Transformation Forum in Rotterdam, discussing national security threats posed by economic interests, particularly when involving China.
He stated that Jihadist terrorism threats had once “consumed most of our capabilities, but we now see the threat shifting towards (Chinese) foreign interference and espionage activities.”
The AIVD previously warned that China weakens Dutch profitability by stealing Dutch trade secrets.
“We just need to address this fact: its (Chinese) value system is different from ours in the Netherlands or the Western world.” He said, “We must deal with this issue in a genuinely political way.”