Dutch head to Parliament

The Dutch government will be in Brussels this week to present its EU presidency programme to the newly elected European Parliament.

Hague ministers will present priorities to the parliament's relevant policy committees of their respective competences and the floor will then be open for MEPs to debate and raise questions.

On Monday afternoon Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, minister for economic affairs, Maria van der Hoeven, minister for education, culture and science, and Karien Van Gennip, minister for foreign trade will be at the industry, research and energy committe, chaired by British member Giles Chichester.

Brinkhorst will be in the hotseat again on Tuesday when he visits both the newly formed committee on internal market and consumer protection and later in the day, the international trade committee.

Finance minister Gerrit Zalm will be in the house on Tuesday presenting to the economic and monetary affairs committee. The employment and social affairs committee will be visited by Aart Jan De Gus, minister for social affairs and employment on the same day.

The environment, public health and food safety committee, chaired by Germany’s Karl-Heinz Florenz will meet with Cees Veerman, minister for agriculture on Wednesday evening and then with Hans Hoogervorst, health minister on Thursday morning.

Foreign minister Bernard Bot, will appear before both the foreign and the constitutional affairs committees on Thursday, whilst former MEP Karla Peijs meets with the transport and tourism committee in her role as minister of transport, public works and water management.

Squeezing their six month term into the four remaining months of the year, the Dutch will also witness the change over of the Commission in November.

The majority of committees will be developing their individual written questionnaires for the Commissioners-designate this week. MEPs have the last week in September and first week in October to grill Barroso’s new team.

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