No more glass of wine with dinner for members of the Senate

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ANP Meeting of the Senate

NOS News•today, 6:36 PM•Adjusted today, 6:54 PM

From now on, members of the First Chamber will have to eat their dinner without a glass of wine. The executive committee of the senate, the so-called Board of Chairman and Vice-Chairmen (CVO), has decided that alcohol will no longer be served in the company restaurant.

According to Ronald Berghouwer, spokesperson for the Senate, the decision was not motivated by any incidents with drunken politicians. There were none at all, he says.

“It is a discussion that has been going on for some time. For some time now, it has no longer been possible for employees to order alcohol. Several senators then asked questions about this. The CVO has now decided to extend the line to members as well.”

‘Small change’

The CVO consists of three members: Speaker of the House Bruijn (VVD) and senators Croll (BBB) ​​and Vos (GroenLinks-PvdA). Spokesman Berghouwer calls it a small change. “There are few members who enjoy extensive wine at dinner.”

It is not the case that the entire Senate building is being drained. “If people want to have a drink in the party room, they can do so,” says Berghouwer. “It is also not the case that a glass of wine is no longer possible with Christmas dinner.”

The 75 members of the Senate meet weekly on Tuesdays, and sometimes also on Mondays. Because people sometimes continue working after the dinner break, alcohol now disappears from the restaurant. Berghouwer: “It is also a bit of social development. Drinking at work is no longer of this time.”

According to the spokesperson, there has so far been no protest from members of the Senate against the anti-alcohol decision.

D66: patronizing

Yet it comes as a surprise to Paul van Meenen, party leader of D66. According to him, it has not been submitted to the party leaders. He will resist it. “I think senators and staff are very capable of making their own choices, including in this area.”

Until last year, Van Meenen was a member of the House of Representatives. “There is no such patronizing rule there.” A spokesperson for the House of Representatives confirms that alcohol is served in the restaurants there, both to politicians and employees. Employees are not allowed to drink if they still have to work afterwards.