Our Magazine
Brussels Morning Online Newspaper
Sunday, February 28, 2021
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Online Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Online Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Europe

Dutch PM Rutte resigns over child welfare fraud scandal

Ivan Fischer by Ivan Fischer
18 January 2021
in Europe
Dutch PM Rutte resigns over child welfare fraud scandal

Brussels, Belgium. 21st Feb. 2020. Prime Minister of Netherlands, Mark Rutte speaks during a press conference following the EU leaders summit.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Brussels (Brussels Morning) Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his government resigned on Friday, following reports that authorities have wrongly accused thousands of migrant-origin families of welfare fraud, Deutsche Welle reported.

Rutte’s cabinet withdrew on Friday to discuss an appropriate response to the scandal before reportedly reaching an unanimous decision to resign. Rutte submitted the cabinet’s collective resignation to King Willem-Alexander.

The departing government will remain in a caretaker role until regular parliamentary elections in March, and will continue to manage the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Asked by the press whether the resignation was merely symbolic, Rutte insisted it was not the case. “Innocent people have been criminalised and their lives ruined – the buck stops here”, he said

Thousands branded

The scandal itself consisted of thousands of parents being branded as welfare fraudsters over minor clerical errors, such as missing signatures on paperwork, and then being forced to pay back tens of thousands of euro they previously received from the government in childcare allowances and other assistance.

The practice is believed to have begun in 2012, and may have affected as many as 26,000 parents, most of them from migrant backgrounds. The Tax Authority admitted last year that it had put 11,000 people under extra scrutiny merely for having dual nationality. Media documented numerous cases illustrating the devastating consequences of the dubious practice – families broken, homes lost, relationships disintegrated.

Those accused were left without legal remedy and often crushed under the burden of sudden debt. Affected families filed charges last week against Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra and Economy Minister Eric Weiebes for their role in the scandal. The latter is the only government member who resigned with immediate effect, and will not be continuing in a caretaker role.

Rutte to return?

This is the second time in history that the entire Dutch government resigned. The first was in 2002, after a report criticised ministers and the military for failing to prevent the Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian war.

Critics are pointing out that the resignation has enabled Rutte to evade a vote of no confidence that would have taken place in the parliament this week. With his party polling well, Rutte could return as PM following the March elections.

Tags: fraud scandalMain-Slidermigrant-origin familiesNetherlands
Ivan Fischer

Ivan Fischer

Ivan is a Zagreb-based journalist with extensive experience in covering European and global politics, economy and emerging technology challenges. He is a foreign policy reporter for the leading Croatian daily Jutarnji list, as well as an alumnus of several journalism training programmes organised by Thomson Reuters Foundation and Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Latest post

Romania’s strained health system leaves non-Covid patients behind

Romania’s strained health system leaves non-Covid patients behind

2 days ago
European Research Group wants Northern Ireland Protocol scrapped

European Research Group wants Northern Ireland Protocol scrapped

2 days ago

Most Read

  • The EU will not learn to speak the language of power as long as Germany does not

    The EU will not learn to speak the language of power as long as Germany does not

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • For US Cybersecurity China is a bigger concern than Russia

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Consumption of plant-based alternatives is disconcerting to meat and dairy industries

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Biden Administration opens the door to international green energy know-how

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Why women make great leaders — lessons from the pandemic

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Subscribe
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • EU Institutions
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Member States
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT