House of Representatives news

On Tuesday, 19 March 2019, at the beginning of its sitting, the House of Representatives commemorated the victims of the Utrecht attack on Monday, 18 March, and the attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday 15 March. On behalf of the House, the President, Ms Khadija Arib, expressed her sympathy with the victims and their families.

With less than 31 days to go before the United Kingdom leaves the EU, there is also some urgency for the Netherlands to prepare properly for the possible scenarios. In their third Brexit report on behalf of the European Affairs Committee, Anne Mulder, Pieter Omtzigt and Lodewijk Asscher have warned of the consequences of a no-deal scenario, which is becoming increasingly likely. The rapporteurs are calling for additional preparations and measures.

On Thursday 31 January 2019, the House of Representatives commemorated its former President, Dick Dolman, who passed away on Wednesday 23 January at the age of 83. Mr Dolman was President of the House of Representatives from 1979 until 1989. Since 1970 he had been an MP for the Labour Party (PvdA).

On 31 January 2019, European Commissioner Andrus Ansip was the guest of the House of Representatives. From 4 to 5 pm he spoke with the standing committee on the Interior about his approach to fake news.

Visit the exhibition Ik vier mijn stem (I celebrate my vote). It will be open for viewing Monday through Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00 in the Central Passageway, the central hall of the House of Representatives. The exhibition tells the special history of general suffrage and demonstrates that it is still in constant motion.

Is the Dutch parliamentary system in need of adjustment? This is the question that the government committee chaired by Johan Remkes has been addressing throughout the past year. On Thursday 13 December, the committee presented its recommendations in a final report. Earlier this year, on Thursday 21 June 2018, it published an interim report on the status of its investigation.

In the second week of December, a delegation of members of the Dutch House of Representatives attended the UN Climate Summit (COP 24) in the Polish city of Katowice. On Wednesday 12 December, the Economic Affairs and Climate Committee and the Benelux Parliament launched a ‘National Parliaments for EU Climate Ambition’. This was the first meeting of an inter-parliamentary lead group that will focus on EU climate policy. In this lead group, national parliament members from EU member states will discuss the necessity of an ambitious EU climate policy and exchange national developments and challenges relating to climate.

In general, the cabinet-formation process of 2017 proceeded in an orderly fashion, despite is protracted duration. This provides evidence that the procedure as amended in 2012, which is directed by the House of Representatives, can also be applied under difficult circumstances. “This report lays a solid foundation for a subsequent cabinet formation, as well as for a subsequent generation of politicians,” observed Khadija Arib, Speaker of the House of Representatives, who received the first copy of the report on the investigation.

On Tuesday, 4 September 2018, the Finance Committee of the Dutch House of Representatives sent a letter to the United States Congress in which it expressed its worries about the situation of so-called 'accidental Americans'.

On Thursday, 7 June 2018, Ms S.M. (Simone) Roos was sworn in as Secretary General of the House of Representatives, at the beginning of the afternoon sitting of the House. In its sitting of 29 May 2018, the House of Representatives had approved Simone Roos' appointment as Secretary General, with effect from 11 June 2018.

Involving citizens in overseeing the government: that was the purpose of the meeting of the citizens' panel V100 in the House of Representatives on Friday, 18 May 2018. On that day, citizens were given the opportunity to pose questions about the ministries' annual reports, concerning a number of pre-selected topics. Two days earlier, on Wednesday, 16 May, it was Accountability Day, the counterpart of Prince's Day, in the House of Representatives. On Accountability Day, instead of debating plans, the House examines how these plans have been implemented. That is why Accountability Day is an important moment for Parliament's scrutiny of the work of the government.

On 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.

On 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.

On 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.

Since 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.