There is a new government in the Netherlands, consisting of the Liberal Party (VVD), led by Mark Rutte, and the Christian Democrats (CDA), led by Maxime Verhagen. This right-wing minority coalition will be supported in parliament by the controversial anti-Islamic Freedom Party (PVV), led by Geert Wilders. The conditions for this support have been set out in a separate endorsement agreement.

The foreign policy chapter in the Rutte-Verhagen coalition agreement (Dutch/English) stresses the importance of preserving Dutch interests internationally, while emphasizing the significance of international solidarity in underpinning development policy.

However, the new government wants to carry out a ‘fundamental review and modernization’ of development policy, based on the recommendations of the report, ‘Less pretension, more ambition’, published by the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) in January 2010. Mid October 2010 an English version of the WRR report has been published.