Minister Judith Uitermark of Interior and Kingdom Relations: “People must be able to assume that our public administration is expert and reliable. Integrity is a prerequisite, even when government officials begin a new position after leaving. They take knowledge, information, and contacts with them, which can lead to conflicts of interest with a new employer. With this law, we want to prevent that.”

Advice on New Job
The new law states that every government official must request advice about a subsequent position from the Advisory College on the Legal Position of Political Office Holders for up to 2 years after leaving office. This college assesses the risk of conflicts of interest, looks at confidentiality obligations, and then issues advice. There are 3 possibilities: ‘no objection’, ‘acceptable under further conditions’, or ‘unacceptable due to (too great a risk of) conflicts of interest’. This advice is also made public on the colleges website if the (former) official accepts the position.

No Job or Contact at Ministry
Furthermore, the law regulates the so-called ‘revolving door ban’. This means that government officials cannot work at their former ministry for up to 2 years after leaving office. They are also not allowed to accept paid assignments at this ministry or related policy areas in other ministries. The existing lobbying ban is also legally enshrined. This ban means that a government official who has started working in the private or semi-public sector cannot have business contacts with officials of the former ministry for up to 2 years after leaving.

Attention to Sanctions

The House of Representatives has approved the bill, which means that the Senate will now consider it. If the Senate also agrees, the law will come into effect. Even before the fall of the cabinet, ministers and state secretaries agreed to adhere to the rules of the bill. The law will be evaluated after 3 years. In the meantime, based on two motions, the possibilities for sanctions if (former) officials violate the law are being investigated. The results of this research will be included in the law evaluation.