The Hague mayor to fine Dutch PM if he doesn't vacate government castle

The new Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof might have to start forking out 100,000 euros a week soon if he insists on occupying the traditional office

The new Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof might have to start forking out 100,000 euros a week soon if he insists on occupying the traditional office for his position – the so-called Torentje tower. The reason is that the Torentje forms part of the Binnenhof government complex (in The Hague), which is currently undergoing a major renovation that is set to continue until 2028. The Prime Minister’s insistence on working in the traditional office, however, is creating an obstacle to that renovation, not to mention the fact that the fire hazard at the complex has increased exponentially, so it’s also a question of safety.

The Binnenhof is a large Gothic castle complex, inherited from the Counts of Holland. It has served as the seat of the Dutch government for more than 400 years with some interruptions. It houses the two chambers of the country’s legislature and the Prime Minister’s Office with some of the major ministries.

The Parliament and the Senate moved shop already in 2021, however, the cabinet has been dragging its feet. It was hoped that the recent change of governments would speed this up, but apparently PM Dick Schoof isn’t in a hurry.

Why has the PM dug in?

The reason why the Prime Minister isn’t rushing to move his office (he’s supposed to move to a building called Catshuis – Cats House) is because there are a lot of cybersecurity intricacies linked to a government office. State work includes a lot of state secrets and that’s why the offices are equipped in a way that beefs up that type of security.

The Hague Mayor Jan van Zanen acknowledged that the digital risk is real. “But the physical safety of people on and around the Binnenhof complex always comes first,” he said, according to NL Times.

The mayor of the Dutch capital doesn’t want to have that risk on his consciousness, which is why he gave the prime minister four weeks to vacate the offices or face a hefty weekly fine.