Economics
Dutch Set to Break With Merkel’s Debt-Reduction Mantra in 2020
- Economy slowing but country seen outpacing Germany, euro zone
- Dutch government expected to announce large investment fund
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The Dutch government is expected to end to an era of debt reduction in favor of fiscal stimulus when it unveils its budget plans Tuesday, leaving Germany looking increasingly isolated.
Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra’s 2020 budget may include the creation of a national investment fund worth tens of billions of euros to take advantage of historically low interest rates, according to local media reports. Doing so would mean a big shift as lowering state debt has, until now, been paramount in Dutch politics.