Chairman,
The Draghi report we are discussing today has been well received.
The report convincingly shows that we need to make our European economy more innovative and competitive. We must jointly invest in the major societal issues of our time: energy and climate, defense, and digital technologies.
The new European Commission has translated the recommendations from the report into an ambitious work program.
What does the report mean for the Netherlands? What will the Netherlands do?
But, chairman, it also feels somewhat schizophrenic to debate today about how we can make our economy more competitive while the Dutch economy is currently stuck due to several problems that are not being solved.
Three years ago, the Financieel Dagblad calculated that not solving the nitrogen crisis costs the Dutch economy about 1% of GDP. I estimate that this is now around 2%; a rough 20 billion euros per year.
Grid congestion also costs the Dutch economy about 10 to 40 billion euros per year.
If we want the Dutch economy to grow again, chairman, we must first finally solve these problems properly.
If we want the Dutch economy to grow again, chairman, we must first finally solve these problems properly.
Henri Bontenbal
This cabinet is not solving the problems but is passing them on.
The Netherlands is currently at a standstill. I cannot bear to see that, chairman.
Then the Draghi report.
Despite all the rightful praise for the report, I also want to make two remarks about it.
First of all, the DNB points out that the higher productivity growth in the US mainly occurs in the technological sectors. These technological sectors explain half of the difference in productivity growth between the US and the euro area.
The DNB also points out that the Netherlands is among the leading group of countries in the EU with the highest productivity and that the growth of labor productivity in the market sector has remained remarkably stable for many years.
The second remark is this: Europe has the task of not becoming the US. By that, I mean that we in the EU are working on a social market economy. Economic growth is not an end in itself, but a means to enhance general welfare. This economic growth is therefore ethically regulated and must serve the common good.
However, chairman, that does not change the fact that the Draghi report rightly calls on Europe to step up.
We must also do this in the Netherlands, but we cannot do everything at once.
We will have to choose which contribution we make. The National Technology Strategy is a first step, but the question is whether it is fast enough.
It would be good if the cabinet focuses on the areas in which our country excels when implementing Draghi. So that we are at the wheel in Europe instead of sitting at the back of the bus. The CDA specifically thinks of the following three themes:
1. The semiconductor industry. The position of the Netherlands in the semiconductor sector is strong and can be further strengthened.
2. Space and Defense. Draghi links the fields of defense and space. Every investment in space has a return on investment of 4 to 5.
3. Agriculture and horticulture. The Netherlands is a global player in knowledge and expertise in food, agriculture, and horticulture.
How to proceed? Two proposals.
First of all: the CDA has submitted an initiative note to make room for investments in the future of the Netherlands. Not to fund short-term wishes, but precisely with an eye on the generations after us. This requires a different perspective on budgetary rules. I am curious how these ministers view our proposals.
Additionally: can we not create a kind of war fund that allows ministers to quickly hook into European plans? We are already doing this defensively, with the protection fund of 150 million in the EZ budget. But why not also offensively? So that we, whether or not within the budget, build in a standard EU investment space. My question is whether the cabinet wants to develop a plan for this.
Secondly: can we not strengthen the route through the European Investment Bank? The EIB has been doing project financing in Europe for decades. Can we not enlarge the mandate of the EIB and align it with the challenges of the Draghi report?