He will make the proposal during the European Union summit to be held in Brussels on 18 and 19 June.

Balkenende believes that Europe sorely needs a system similar to the Dutch ‘polder model', whereby employers, trade unions and governmental authorities meet and negotiate until they arrive at a consensus.

The Prime Minister says that this type of system is needed now more than ever since millions of workers in Europe risk losing their jobs and many companies are suffering record losses.

He stresses the importance of employers, workers and local and national governments reaching agreement on salaries, job protection, training schemes and taxation.

The Dutch Prime Minister and German Chancellor Angela Merkel support the introduction of a so-called "Rhine-Delta model" for Europe, which is extremely similar to the Dutch model.

Enthusiasm

The Prime Minister also spoke of the lack of enthusiasm for the European parliamentary elections scheduled for 4-7 June and the growth of right-wing extremist and populist anti-European parties, such as the United Kingdom Independence Party in Great Britain, the Flemish Lijst Dedecker and Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) in the Netherlands. All of these parties are scoring well in the opinion polls.

Prime Minister Balkenende also responded to questions from listeners and visitors to the website of Radio Netherlands Worldwide. He answered questions on a range of topics, from Europe to his passion for driving.

Herman van Gelderen
Radio Netherlands