VVD strategy chief quits to launch Dutch pro-growth group Wij Willen Groei
What's the deal? Matthijs van de Burgwal, the VVDDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s head of strategy, has resigned to launch Wij Willen Groei, a cross-party pro-growth action group he says will push for "growth, freedom and prosperity" in the Netherlands. The group launches on October 29, 2026 in Amsterdam, a year to the day after the last Dutch elections.
Why now? Van de Burgwal quit over the summer of 2026, citing deep concern about the country's trajectory. "We are getting poorer and more dependent at a rapid pace," he wrote (translated from Dutch), framing the moment as a time for action.
The case: He points to a stalled economy. The Dutch share of the world economy has shrunk by a third since the 1980s, Amsterdam has slipped from Europe's top three tech hubs to seventh, and Rotterdam has dropped out of the top 10 container ports.
On innovation, his warning is sharper: no leading AI model comes from the Netherlands or Europe. In the US, one in two startups scales up — in the Netherlands, only one in five.
What's the endgame? Wij Willen Groei is pitched as a cross-party group working "from the ground up" through events, campaigns, and policy agendas, rather than a rival party. Speakers at the launch include broadcaster Jort Kelder, Looking for Growth's Lawrence Newport, and NADI's Jelle Prins.
Why it matters: The timing gives it an opening. The Dutch coalition has made growth an explicit priority, including a 1.5% structural-growth target, while the IMF and European Commission have flagged weak business investment and constraints such as grid congestion and nitrogen rules.
What could go wrong? There is no evidence yet of an established organisation or major backing. Its influence will depend on whether it develops concrete proposals that reach beyond its founder's profile.
The signal: A senior political strategist leaving a governing party to build an outside movement reflects a growing frustration that Dutch politics is stuck in "a mindset of managing decline." Europe's abundance movement goes Dutch — whether Wij Willen Groei can convert that frustration into policy is the open question.
Read more: X (Matthijs van de Burgwal), wijwillengroei.nl
