Rob Jetten's lessons

“Liberalism without heart is just an economic theory.” There are phrases that capture the spirit of the times. This one, written by liberal MEP Abir Al-Sahlani on the occasion of the elections in the Netherlands, summarizes the great lesson we can learn from the triumph of Rob Jetten and D66: European liberalism is reborn when it speaks of values, empathy, and the triumph of hope over fear.

“It’s possible” was the campaign slogan of the progressive liberals. When everyone thought it unthinkable to recover from the great defeat of 2023, Rob Jetten proved that no one loses by being true to their principles. Two years ago, refusing to fight in the mud with extremists and conservatives on the basis of “the worse, the better,” especially regarding immigration policies, D66 paid the price for ideological consistency. From there to a historic triumph was only a matter of (a short) time.

Rob Jetten has shown that yes, it is possible to defeat the far-right without succumbing to populism. "It's possible to defeat them without imitating them." This phrase from the young leader should serve as a mantra for many European liberal parties that have been giving in to easy solutions and burying what they always believed in. The triumph of D66 is the victory of the possible. Yes, it is possible to combat outdated nationalisms by defending European integration as an ideal of human progress and not merely as a common market; yes, it is possible to defeat fear by speaking of hope, unity, and purpose; yes, it is possible to place the environment and climate change at the center of the debate without falling into Manicheanism that blocks any urgent reform.

The results in the Netherlands should force European liberals to stop and think. The victory of the D66 also meant the defeat of the conservative liberals of the VVD. While still talking about competitiveness, growth, fiscal policy, and combating bureaucracy, Rob Jetten also spoke of inclusion, social mobility, equal opportunities, and a sense of community. In other words, the progressive liberal leader – a word that causes panic among many Portuguese liberals – restored to liberalism the emotional dimension that has always made it inspiring.

It is this liberalism with heart that has the potential to revitalize the European political center. Because, contrary to what many predicted, the center is not dead. The triumph of D66 bothered the right and left the left without arguments. Isn't that what is expected of a liberal party? The future of Europe lies in a center that clamors for prosperity with the same enthusiasm with which it says, as Jetten did, that acceptance must overcome fear. On the night of the victory, the dozens of European Union flags did justice to a leader who, despite everything, still gets emotional when he speaks of the need to strengthen our common project of peace and freedom.

In a continent saturated by polarization, there is room for those who believe that individual freedom and the common good are not enemies, but complementary. That is why Rob Jetten's victory is profoundly revolutionary (another word that alienates a dozen more readers). When the young liberal opens the door to possible coalitions with the Greens and/or the Social Democrats, he underlines the need to build bridges in the name of a greater good.

The victory of D66 is a whirlwind of hope in Europe, but an inconvenience for some relatives of its European political family. The forced smiles and media exploitation by certain so-called liberal parties say almost everything. Rob Jetten's heartfelt message clashes, without complacency, with the numerically significant voices of liberals who have decided to imitate the extremists in an attempt to win over his electorate. The difference is that D66 wins and inspires, while others tend towards irrelevance.

From the Netherlands came the certainty that the progressive and humanist liberalism that works and is needed in our Europe is the one that truly matters. Whatever happens, Rob Jetten will go down in history as the young man who rescued a party from the ashes to tell us that "it is possible".