ALDE Party member D66 in the Netherlands hosted its 113^th Congress in the run up to the Dutch parliamentary elections on 17 March.

D66 party leader and lead candidate Sigrid Kaag addressed the audience underlining the importance of the choices that the incoming government will need to make for the recovery during and post-COVID-19 crisis. In her intervention, Kaag acknowledged the need for the new government to bring perspective with concrete measures.

On the COVID-19 crisis, Kaag mentioned the need for some kind of vaccination certificate for citizens, provided that this kind of certificate would be temporary, respects all privacy rules, is coordinated at EU level and gives the same freedoms as to people who tested negative.

“You cannot expect vaccinated people to wait with their lives until the last dose is given. People need to get access to social life, but unvaccinated people need to enjoy the same freedoms when they tested negatively,” she said.

Kaag also pleaded for the distribution of free self-tests and rapid tests to make it possible to open the society. The costs of a lockdown are much higher than investing in testing kits.

Closing the Congress, Kaag emphasized the key issues for D66 in the upcoming elections, including progressive climate policy, investments in education, a good pension and lower income taxes for workers.

You can re-watch the Congress here or below

Photo credit: D66