After months of tight-lipped talks, the Netherlands’ new minority government unveiled a blueprint for the country’s future on Friday, promising to move beyond political squabbling and return to the long-standing Dutch tradition of consensus politics. The 67-page coalition agreement laid out a series of ambitious goals to be spearheaded by Rob Jetten and his liberal D66 party alongside his coalition partners — the center-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). “Today we’re embarking on a new course,” Jetten, told journalists in The Hague on Friday, promising “real breakthroughs.” Jetten, at age 38, is set to become the youngest Dutch prime minister. Those hoping for a dramatic shift after years of right-wing politics, however, could be disappointed. “Ultimately, we see relatively little of D66’s progressive agenda reflected in the agreement,” said Sarah de Lange, a professor of Dutch politics at Leiden University, pointing to the program’s emphasis on higher defense budgets and deregulation at the expense of social spending.  Here are five things you need to know about what Jetten’s government has in store: 1. IT WANTS US TO BELIEVE IN POLITICS AGAIN The new government is keen to signal it is making a clean break from years of political paralysis, rolling out its new Cabinet slogan: “Let’s get to work!” The not-so-subtle message here is that the three coalition members want to show they are serious about delivering on tackling the country’s main challenges, ushering in the end of an era of polarization and political clashes and returning full-force to the Netherlands’ long-standing tradition of compromise politics. After the conflict-ridden and gloomy-toned Schoof government, expect a “yes-we-can” vibe from The Hague.  2. IT’S SPLURGING ON … — Defense, allocating an extra €19 billion to meet the new NATO spending target of 5 percent of gross domestic product — 3.5 percent on core military expenditure and 1.5 percent on defense-related areas — and to facilitate the country’s transition from being a “peace dividend to combat power.” “The Netherlands is at the forefront of building a European pillar within NATO,” the coalition document reads.  — Solving the Netherlands’ housing crisis and phasing out nitrogen emissions through buyouts will also require large investments. Planned cuts to education and international aid will be put in the freezer — a win for the D66, for whose electorate those are core concerns. … AT THE EXPENSE OF …  — Social spending will take a big hit, with Dutch citizens expected to shoulder more of the burden for health costs.  “We’re preventing a huge explosion of the health care budget, which creates room to invest in defense and national security,” Jetten explained on Friday.   — The coalition document also stipulates a “freedom contribution,” a tax of about €184 per citizen per year which is meant to raise some €3.4 billion toward defense.  3. IT WILL STAY FIRM ON MIGRATION The previous government fell over migration, which remained a major campaign issue in the run-up to the election. Jetten positioned himself as the antithesis to far-right firebrand Geert Wilders, whose Party for Freedom has long claimed the topic. In the coalition text, the new government walks the tightrope of promising a strict immigration policy while trying not to echo Wilders too closely and alienate more progressive voters. The plan singles out the EU’s migration reforms, including its plans to bolster deportations, as a “first big step toward gaining more control over who comes to the Netherlands.” The Dutch government will take a leading role in pushing for changes to international refugee law, including by hosting an asylum summit, according to the program.  But the text also states that the Netherlands will take a stance in EU talks about return and transit hubs to make sure that migrants are never sent to countries where they risk persecution, and put on hold a controversial deal with Uganda to use the African country as a transit point for rejected asylum seekers. 4. IT’S RETURNING TO BRUSSELS’ EMBRACE  After a Euroskeptic tilt under the last Dutch government, Jetten is bringing the Netherlands back on a Brussels course, arguing for closer cooperation. That applies to defense, with the agreement setting a goal of 40 percent of procurement to be carried out “jointly with European partners,” as well as to migration.  Still, the new government remains loyal to the Netherlands’ reputation as one of the frugals, rejecting eurobonds. “Member states are primarily responsible for their own budgets,” the document reads.  The country will also continue to support Ukraine militarily and financially and push to use Russian frozen assets, according to the agreement.  When it comes to the United States, the program struck a stricter tone, pledging to “speak out when their actions undermine our values and interests, always with an eye to maintaining the relationship and preserving critical security interests.”  5. NONE OF THIS IS EVEN REMOTELY A DONE DEAL Perhaps the most important thing to know is that all of the above should be taken with a massive grain of salt. Over the past weeks, the three coalition parties have made a show of presenting a united front. But internal cohesion is by no means a guarantee of success.  In Dutch parliament, the three parties combined only have 66 out of 150 seats. In the Netherlands’ upper chamber they hold 22 out of 75 seats.  That means that the coalition will need to seek external support for every separate issue. Considering that the two largest opposition parties — the leftist GreenLeft-Labor alliance (GL-PvdA) and far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) — hold diametrically opposed views, that is a recipe for political acrobatics. In Jetten’s words: “This will be a cooperation government.”  In practice, Leiden University’s de Lange said, the framework laid out in the coalition agreement already hints the government will have to swerve even further to the right. “When you look at the plans that are on the table right now as a whole, it looks more likely that the decisive support will come from the far right,” de Lange said. “GL-PvdA has said from the beginning that they would not agree with funding defense by cutting social spending.” WHAT’S NEXT?  The Dutch parliament is expected to discuss the coalition agreement on Tuesday. That will be a first bellwether of the mood within various opposition parties and their willingness to help Jetten make good on his promise of getting things done. The divvying up of ministries and Cabinet posts is the next big step. If all goes well, the final team will line up on the steps of the Dutch king’s palace for the traditional photo by late February.  And then the work can begin.

BRUSSELS — Europe is on track to pay at least €440 billion to deal with the pollution and health impacts from toxic PFAS chemicals by the middle of the century, according to a study released Thursday by the European Commission. The cost could soar to nearly €2 trillion under more ambitious clean-up goals, the analysis warns, describing the roughly half-trillion-euro estimate as a baseline for addressing PFAS pollution across the European Economic Area. PFAS or “forever chemicals” — man-made chemicals used in a wide variety of industrial processes and consumer products — have been linked to a range of health problems, including cancer and fertility problems. The EU is preparing to propose a ban on their use later this year, with exemptions for “critical sectors” — a position likely to draw pushback from industry and some political groups. But even a full ban would leave Europe with costs of €330 billion by 2050, the report warned. “Providing clarity on PFAS with bans for consumer uses is a top priority for both citizens and businesses,” said EU environment chief Jessika Roswall. “That is why this is an absolute priority for me to work on this and engage with all relevant stakeholders. Consumers are concerned, and rightly so. This study underlines the urgency to act.” The study, carried out by consultancies WSP, Ricardo, and Trinomics, shows that how Europe acts matters just as much as whether it acts. In one scenario, where emissions continue, and authorities rely largely on wastewater treatment to meet strict environmental standards, the total bill would soar to around €1.7 trillion by 2050, driven mainly by clean-up costs. If the EU bans forever chemicals, the health costs would fall from about €39.5 billion a year in 2024 to roughly €0.5 billion by 2040, under a full phase-out scenario. “The Commission’s study exposes the staggering costs of PFAS pollution. Every day of inaction inflates the bill,” said Noémie Jégou, policy officer for Chemicals at the European Environmental Bureau. “The EU must turn off the tap now through an ambitious EU restriction of PFAS present in consumer products and used in industrial processes.”

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music Nächster Tiefpunkt für die SPD bei den Kommunalwahlen in Nordrhein-Westfalen – und ein Wahlergebnis, das weit über das Ruhrgebiet hinausweist. Die CDU bleibt stärkste Kraft, die AfD erzielt zweistellige Gewinne und schickt OB-Kandidaten in die Stichwahl. Gordon Repinski analysiert diese Wahl und ihre Bedeutung für die SPD.  Im 200-Sekunden-Interview wird Karl Lauterbach sehr klar: Die Bürgergeld-Debatte habe der SPD massiv geschadet. In der AfD schwelt der Streit um eine Russlandreise. Alice Weidels mögliche Blockade trägt dazu bei und ein Showdown diese Woche könnte zeigen, dass es in der Partei vor allem auch um persönliche Befindlichkeiten geht.  Und: Ein sportlicher Konsens zum Wochenstart. Deutschland ist Europameister im Basketball! Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren. Mehr von Host und POLITICO Executive Editor Gordon Repinski: Instagram: @gordon.repinski | X: @GordonRepinski.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music Es ist zurück: Das Chlorhuhn. Jahrzehnte nach TTIP geistert das Symbol des transatlantischen Handelsstreits erneut durch die europäische Debatte – denn Donald Trump droht mit Strafzöllen, wenn die EU nicht bei Agrarstandards nachgibt. Friedrich Merz drängt auf eine Einigung mit Washington, doch selbst der CDU-Wirtschaftspolitiker Tilman Kuban warnt wenigstens leise im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Europa muss selbstbewusst verhandeln – und auch pragmatisch neue Märkte erschließen. Auch im Inland herrscht Zugzwang: Gesundheitsministerin Nina Warken will die umstrittene Klinikreform von Karl Lauterbach abmildern, weil das Wunsch auch der Unions-geführten Länder ist. Jürgen Klöckner erklärt, warum der Kanzler das Krankenhaus-Problem direkt vor der Haustür hat – und warum trotzdem niemand Kliniken schließen will. Und zum Schluss eine gute Nachricht aus der Hitzewelle: Laut Studie reden Politiker bei höheren Temperaturen kürzer. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team bringen euch jeden Morgen auf den neuesten Stand in Sachen Politik — kompakt, europäisch, hintergründig. Und für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Unser Berlin Playbook-Newsletter liefert jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. Hier gibt es alle Informationen und das kostenlose Playbook-Abo. Mehr von Berlin Playbook-Host und Executive Editor von POLITICO in Deutschland, Gordon Repinski, gibt es auch hier:   Instagram: @gordon.repinski | X: @GordonRepinski.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music – Teure Wahlversprechen: Die SPD will die Pflegeheimkosten deckeln, die CDU steigende Sozialbeiträge verhindern. Über einen dicken Brocken in den Koalitionsverhandlungen, der noch für Streit sorgen wird, spricht Gordon Repinski mit Jürgen Klöckner. – Im 200-Sekunden-Interview ist Andreas Storm dazu Gast. Der Vorstandschef der Krankenkasse DAK und frühere CDU-Gesundheitsexperte über explodierende Beiträge, eine mögliche mehrstufige Reform und eventuelle Einschnitte. – Abschied vom Bundestag: Wie die Verwaltung haarklein aufgelistet hat, wer was wann und wo abzugeben hat und welche Privilegien die künftigen Ex-Abgeordneten behalten.  Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team bringen euch jeden Morgen auf den neuesten Stand in Sachen Politik — kompakt, europäisch, hintergründig. Und für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Unser Berlin Playbook-Newsletter liefert jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. Hier gibt es alle Informationen und das kostenlose Playbook-Abo. Mehr von Berlin Playbook-Host und Executive Editor von POLITICO in Deutschland, Gordon Repinski, gibt es auch hier:   Instagram: @gordon.repinski | X: @GordonRepinski.

United States President Donald Trump late Saturday said he may consider rejoining the World Health Organization — days after signing an executive order announcing America’s intention to leave. “Maybe we would consider doing it again. I don’t know. Maybe we would have to clean it up a little bit,” Trump said at a rally in Las Vegas, while complaining that the U.S. paid more into the global health agency than China, which has a much bigger population. Trump ordered a U.S. exit from the WHO on Monday, citing what he described as a mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic and other international health crises. It is Trump’s second attempt at withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO. The U.S. withdrawal will generate a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars for the WHO’s core budget, hindering the global health agency’s ability to effectively respond to infectious disease outbreaks and other emergencies around the world. The WHO is freezing recruitment and slashing travel in response to the U.S. withdrawal, according to an internal email seen by POLITICO. The U.S., meanwhile, is expected to lose access to the global network that sets the flu vaccine’s composition every year.

BRUSSELS — The biggest dietary problem facing Europeans is not excess meat, sugar, or salt, says Serge Hercberg, professor of nutrition at the Sorbonne and creator of the Nutri-Score food-labeling system. Nor is it alcohol, artificial sweeteners, or even a lack of fruit, vegetables and whole grains. The most confounding obstacle, Hercberg told POLITICO in an interview, is deception by self-serving agri-food lobbies. “It’s very difficult to identify one ingredient or behavior. Moreover, we know what measures work,” he reflected, citing VAT changes, advertising restrictions, healthier public procurement policies, and of course his own labeling system. “The big challenge is being capable of thwarting lobbies who oppose those measures.” It’s a sobering message from the man behind the “five fruit and veg per day” slogan, who has watched as right-wing politicians and corporate interests successfully buried the five-color logo, which was adopted in France in 2017 and was seen as the likeliest candidate for an EU-wide front-of-pack labeling scheme during the last European Commission. Since 2022, however, Nutri-Score has been in full retreat, caught up in the same anti-Green Deal backlash that stymied laws to reduce pesticide use, promote animal welfare and curb deforestation. Italy has led that counterattack, driving culture-war narratives about an “anti-Italian system” that unfairly marks down its meats, cheeses and olive oil. Greece, Hungary, Romania and others have joined in, bolstered by support from EU agricultural association Copa-Cogeca and its national members such as France’s FNSEA, Italy’s Coldiretti and Confagricoltura, and Spain’s Asaja.  Since 2022, Nutri-Score has been in full retreat, caught up in the same anti-Green Deal backlash that stymied laws to reduce pesticide use, promote animal welfare and curb deforestation. | Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images “It’s caricatural,” said Hercberg, noting that olive oil is well-graded with a B and that meats and cheeses get lower scores because they should be eaten in moderation. “I remind them that today it’s in the countries of the south — Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal — that the prevalence of overweight and childhood obesity is the highest.” Nevertheless, Italy has backed the alternative NutrInform, whose algorithm displays five batteries (calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt) and the percent of a person’s daily needs that the product meets. The French scientist is skeptical: “If tomorrow there was a logo shown to be more effective, I’d abandon Nutri-Score immediately,” he vowed. For now, he isn’t letting go and complains of stagnation in the takeup of Nutri-Score. Portugal’s new center-right government dropped the system this summer, leaving only six EU countries whose health ministry still recommends it: France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.  Hercberg blames what many are calling “gastro populism,” which he described as an “attempt to flatter the identitarian fiber, to make people believe we’re threatening their core values.” He cited the campaign rhetoric of far-right parties ahead of the EU election in June, where they gained their strongest-ever representation in the European Parliament. But Nutri-Score’s outlook has only worsened since then, with the new commissioners for agriculture and health — Christophe Hansen and Olivér Várhelyi — appearing to have shelved the idea of proposing an EU law on food labeling. That’s despite a recent report by the European Court of Auditors urging the EU executive to do just that.  “It’s really absurd,” Hercberg concluded, highlighting how the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimated last month that bad diets inflict nearly €1 trillion in hidden health costs on the continent. “The big problem in Europe is this incapacity to not give way to lobbies and put public health first.”