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NATO Secretary General visits Dutch Parliament
25 April 2018On Thursday, 19 April 2018, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited The Hague. The president of the House of Representatives, Ms Khadija Arib, and the president of the Senate, Ms Ankie Broekers-Knol, received him in the historical Stadholder's Room in the building of the House of Representatives. Mr Stoltenberg also met with members of the Foreign Affairs and Defence committees of both chambers.
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Proceedings Room open for visitors on History of The Hague Day
29 March 2018On History of The Hague Day, Saturday, 14 April 2018, the House of Representatives will open the doors of its Proceedings Room ("Handelingenkamer"). This historical library is only rarely open to the public, the previous occasion was on Heritage Day, 9 September 2017.
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Incident in Plenary Hall House of Representatives – all meetings of Thursday 22 March cancelled
22 March 2018On Thursday March 22 at approximately 12 noon, an incident happened on the public gallery of the Plenary Hall at the House of Representatives. A man jumped down onto the floor of the Hall from the public gallery. Police officers, security personnel and emergency response officers were quickly at the scene. The victim was transported to hospital by ambulance for treatment.
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Act of Abjuration (Plakkaat van Verlatinghe) on display in the House of Representatives
15 February 2018Since Tuesday, 6 February 2018, a replica of the Act of Abjuration (Plakkaat van Verlatinghe), the unofficial declaration of independence of the Netherlands from 1581, is on display near the Plenary Hall of the House of Representatives. The President of the House, Ms Arib, was the first to take a look at the replica. "The Act of Abjuration tells us who we are", said Arib.
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MPs meet with EU's Brexit negotiator Barnier
12 January 2018On Tuesday afternoon, 9 January 2018, members of the standing committee on European Affairs had a meeting with Michel Barnier. This Frenchman is the chief Brexit negotiatior on behalf of the European Commission. The MPs discussed with him the progress in the negotiations on Britain's withdrawal from the European Union (EU).
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Debat Direct app: Get a full week of parliamentary sessions on your personal device
15 December 2017Download the all-new app, view the parliamentary calendar for the entire week, watch all the week's debates, track parliamentary proceedings and share your favourites on social media.
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Debate on the future of Europe in Maastricht
4 December 2017In what direction should the European Union be heading? Should it strive for more cooperation in more fields? Or should it strive for less cooperation, of more efficiency? What topics should be given priority? Dutch Members of Parliament will discuss these and more issues with a number of experts as well as representatives from EU institutions, such as Mr Frans Timmermans, first Vice-President of the European Commission.
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Rapporteurs make the case for more transparency in the EU
24 November 2017Members of Parliament are unable to monitor the EU effectively at present. This is particularly true of the consultations and negotiations between member states on new European legislation in areas such as agriculture, pensions and migration policy. Documents are not routinely made public, for example.
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Rapporteurs: ‘Prepare for no-deal Brexit’
21 November 2017The Netherlands must be pepared for there being no agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) after Brexit. This is the the so-called chaos scenario, in which the UK leaves the European Union (EU) without a transition period and without any arrangements regarding the new EU-UK relationship.
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Rutte III cabinet sworn in at Noordeinde Palace
27 October 2017On Thursday morning 26 October 2017, the Rutte III cabinet was sworn in by King Willem Alexander at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, followed by the traditional photograph on the steps of the palace. The taking office of the new cabinet also causes changes in the composition of the House of Representatives. On Tuesday 31 October, twelve new MPs will be sworn in: six VVD, three D66, two CDA and one ChristianUnion MPs. The debate about the Government Statement will be held on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 November.
