In his first major public address, the recently crowned Dutch King Willem-Alexander has warned his subjects that the welfare state of the 20th century is gone.
While still traveling past waving fans in an ornate horse-drawn carriage to the 13th-century Hall of Knights in The Hague, the monarch's traditional speech on the government's budget was gloomy.
In televised remarks, King Willem-Alexander said the traditional welfare state that has made the Netherlands famous is coming to an end.
"In its place," he said speaking carefully, a "participation society" is emerging, "in which people must take responsibility for their own future and create their own social and financial safety nets, with less help from the national government."
He stressed that, "The classic welfare state of the second half of the 20th century in these areas in particular brought forth arrangements that are unsustainable in their current form."
While still traveling past waving fans in an ornate horse-drawn carriage to the 13th-century Hall of Knights in The Hague, the monarch's traditional speech on the government's budget was gloomy.
In televised remarks, King Willem-Alexander said the traditional welfare state that has made the Netherlands famous is coming to an end.
"In its place," he said speaking carefully, a "participation society" is emerging, "in which people must take responsibility for their own future and create their own social and financial safety nets, with less help from the national government."
He stressed that, "The classic welfare state of the second half of the 20th century in these areas in particular brought forth arrangements that are unsustainable in their current form."
