King Willem-Alexander delivered his eleventh Prinsjesdag address on Tuesday. It was the third Tuesday in September, the date that the Cabinet releases its budget proposal for the upcoming year. With the fall of Mark Rutte's fourth Cabinet, the caretaker government was expected to present a less ambitious budget with few policy initiatives.
King Willem-Alexander called for a stronger Dutch society and a Europe less dependent on forces like Russia and China in his eleventh Prinsjesdag speech from the throne. The third Tuesday in September is the traditional date of the address, which precedes the Cabinet's publication of its budget proposal for the following year. There was some unrest near the site of the speech, the Koninklijke Schouwburg in The Hague, with people heckling the royal carriages as they passed, and some others waiving critical signs, and upside-down Dutch flags.
Political leaders and labor organisations in the Netherlands reacted to King Willem-Alexander's speech which presented the government's plans for the next year. Many voiced concerns about the Cabinet’s commitment to tackling poverty, calling for bolder actions and a reevaluation of funding allocations.
The caretaker Cabinet in the Netherlands presented its 2024 budget on Tuesday, which amounts to a total 433.6 billion euros. The proposed budget carries a deficit of 30.7 billion euros in total, and includes a 2 billion euro plan to boost purchasing power and prevent more households from falling into poverty.
The energy sector wants the Cabinet to establish its own emergency fund to help low-income households cope with rising energy costs, according to the energy association Energie-Nederland.