Prince's Day and the General Political Debate on the Budget Memorandum 2026
On Prince's Day, this year on Tuesday 15 September, the government unveiled its plans for 2027. The King delivered the speech from the throne before the joint sitting of the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the minister of Finance presented the national budget and the Budget Memorandum. The following two days, the House of Representatives held the annual General Political Debate about the plans.
Prince's Day
The third Tuesday of September marks the start of the parliamentary year. On that day, the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives gather for a joint sitting. The Hall of Knights in the Inner Court being under renovation, this joint sitting has been held in the nearby Royal Theatre for some years now. Apart from the parliamentarians and the King, other members of the Royal House, the members of the cabinet and invited guests are in attendance.
Delivery of the speech from the throne
The President of the Senate, Ms Mei Li Vos, chairs the joint sitting. The main event of the joint sitting is the delivery of the speech from the throne by the King. This speech, written by the government, sets out the state of play in the Netherlands and the plans of the various ministries for the coming year.
Committee of Attendance
The President of the House of Representatives chairs the Committee of Attendance. On 15 September, Mr Thom van Campen, accompanied by a number of other members of both the House and the Senate, escorted the members of the Royal House on their arrival at and departure from the Royal Theatre.
National budget
Every new government outlines its spending purposes in the coalition agreement. Every year, these plans are incorporated in the national budget, which sets out the amount of money to be allocated to each ministry, as well as the expected expenditure in the coming year.
The Budget Memorandum
The Budget Memorandum provides explanatory notes on the main choices, plans and expenditure set out in the national budget. On Prince's Day, the minister of Finance, Mr Eelco Heinen, presented the national budget and the Budget Memorandum to the House of Representatives in the traditional Prince's Day briefcase.
General Political Debate on the Budget Memorandum
On the days following Prince's Day, the House of Representatives discusses the plans during the General Political Debate on the Budget Memorandum. All the ministers and state secretaries are present on this occasion. On 16 September, the leaders of the parliamentary groups entered into debate with each other about the budget and presented their own ideas. On 17 September, prime minister Rob Jetten answered the questions of the House and accounted for the plans of the government.
Looking for majorities
The minority government made up of D66, VVD and CDA needs the support of several opposition parties in order to be able to implement its plans. That is why the debate mainly focused on the question how the government will manage to reach a majority under this new government arrangement, and under which conditions the opposition is ready to support the government's plans. Issues frequently mentioned during the debate included climate policy, asylum, defense and social security.