Calls for transparency and accountability at Dutch Ministry of Defence
image: John Torcasio on Unsplash
A Commission of inquiry report about a 2015 Dutch airstrike in Hawija, Irak, shows that the Ministry of Defence is not open about its mistakes. In Dutch news programme ‘Nieuwsuur’, Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional Law, spoke of ‘a clear pattern of misinforming the House of Representatives’.
Previous research conducted by Professor Voermans shows that between 2001 and 2020, the Ministry of Defence misinformed the House of Representatives in 14 out of 69 incidents. The professor believes that this is part of the Ministry’s ‘DNA’ and also plays into the fact that the institution does not like to be investigated. The situation is more open in other European countries, according to the professor. This also emerged from research by the Open State Foundation, which compared the Dutch situation to that of the United States, France and the United Kingdom. The ministries of defence of these countries are much more transparent when it comes to sharing information.
The Commission of inquiry, chaired by former Dutch Minister of Justice Winnie Sorgdrager, calls for more openness and accountability within the Ministry of Defence so that parliament can perform its monitoring task properly. According to Professor Voermans, the situation has improved slightly in the last three years with a visible shift in culture when it comes to informing the House of Representatives. Ruben Brekelmans, the current Dutch Minister of Defence, also acknowledges that improvements have already been made within the Ministry of Defence, but more steps are still needed to improve transparency.
More information?
Watch the Nieuwsuur broadcast (in Dutch, from 20.09 min.)