The party has skyrocketed in the polls since the battle for the lead party broke out at the CDA. A poll by Maurice de Hond also shows that the party with Pieter Omtzigt in the lead can get the most votes in the elections. Omtzigt calls these results good morning Netherlands “Nice, but total daily rates”. It does not make the battle for the aspiring party leader any less exciting. “The uncertainty about where you will be in three weeks and what role you could have yourself is quite exciting,” he admits.
Omtzigt is known as the ‘file tiger’ that the government in Malta dropped and uncovers the errors of the tax authorities. “I am not afraid of anything substantive,” he says. Is leadership appropriate for him? “It would be completely new to me,” he admits, and he will have to get used to the “internal fires” that must be put out as a political leader. “But often there is a substantive conflict underneath,” thinks Omtzigt. “I want to outline the broad lines of what we want with the Netherlands.”
Balance between citizen and government
As a party leader, he wants to rectify certain things to create a balance between government and citizen. “I all see what went wrong at the Tax Authorities. In certain cases, citizens have absolutely no chance against the government. That says something about the malfunctioning of our politics. ”
It is no problem that the Tax and Customs Administration makes mistakes, even if it is daily, says Omtzigt. “If you admit them neatly and then solve them, there is nothing to worry about.” The problem is that politicians did not get it in time and the objections of citizens are not addressed, Omtzigt emphasizes. “Documents were withheld in court, so that they could not be right there. The National Ombudsman was lied to. To rectify all that and to ensure that there is balance, you need somewhat larger interventions. I would like to have party leadership for that. ”
State of the European Union
MEPs, including Omtzigt, meet today in The Hague to discuss the state of the European Union. It is mainly about how the various European countries deal with the corona crisis.
Omtzigt would like to raise two topics there. “There are two major fault lines in the union. The first is: can countries structurally keep their financial trousers up? Incidentally, I can imagine how we get there together, that there is also help for countries. After that, they must be able to support themselves, ”says Omtzigt. “Otherwise, there will be too many internal tensions in the Union and we will have a problem.”
Rule of law in Poland
The other “fault line” that Omtzigt believes is important is that the rule of law is under pressure in a number of European countries, including Hungary, Malta, Romania and Poland. The latter is still receiving a lot of money through European funds, despite the fact that several European countries no longer recognize the judgments of the judges in Poland. The judges in the country are in fact politically driven and are therefore anything but independent.
Omtzigt believes that the Netherlands should cut this considerably. As far as I am concerned, European funds must be linked to the rule of law. If the rule of law in a country fails, it should be cut short. ”
ALSO READ: Omtzigt wants to become party leader at CDA: ‘The rule of law in the Netherlands must be stronger’
By: Marinka Wagemans
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