Paul Tang (Dutch Labour): “Coronabonds are needed, Rutte cabinet is embarrassing”

Bruxelles – The Dutch government reacted in an “embarrassing” way to the proposal for the creation of European bonds as a tool to tackle the economic crisis triggered by the Coronavirus outbreak. The Dutch behaviour showed how the Nation had lost its European path, said to Eunews the Dutch MEP Paul Tang, member of the committee on Economic Affairs. A man from the Labour Party (PvdA), he rejected the political line of the prime minister of his own country, he stood with the governments calling for Coronabonds, and offered an explanation of how the Ducht delegation can do its part.

Eunews: EU leaders are split. What about you as S&D group? In favor of against the idea of Coronabonds?
Tang: “I can’t talk on behalf of the other delegations. As Dutch, we would like a form of share instrument. It is a matter of solidarity, and then we are dealing with an unprecedented situation touching everybody of us. Italy, Belgium, Finland… Every Country has to be allowed to recover. Again, a tool such as this one can be useful for the Dutch economy, too. The Netherlands are not excluded from what is happening. Within the European Parliament our delegation is working with the Dutch delegation of the Greens, we have a tradition of cooperation on certain topics”.

E: Can we say that thanks to you the S&D group can build an alliance with the European Greens into the EU Parliament on Coronabonds?
T: “We can say that in the Netherlands the Labour Party and the Green Party have long-lasting tradition of common work on economic affairs”.

E: How do you consider the position of your prime minister, Mark Rutte?
T: “I believe that from his side the answer was very hard, completely over the top. But I consider embarrassing the answer given by our Minister of Finance, Wopke Hoekstra. He has no idea what is solidarity, showing not to have empathy. I understand criticism outside the Netherlands.This is going to be a defining moment fot the EU. We are founder member of the European Union, and we come out with the embarrassing response from Hoekstra”.

E: According to Klas Knoot, the president of the Dutch central bank, Coronabonds are necessary. Any comment?
T: “As already said, we are in favor of the idea of a common tool. Any way, also the former president of the Dutch central bank, Nout Wellink, said the same…”

E: Does it helps to change Rutte’s mind and that of the Ducht government?
T: “Not openly, but it put pressure to find a solution”.