GroenLinks and PvdA merge into Progressief Nederland (Pro) as 96–97% of members approve largest Dutch party fusion since 1980

Historic vote in Den Bosch

On 13 June 2026, around 6,000 members of GroenLinks and the Labour Party (PvdA) gathered at the Brabanthallen in Den Bosch. In a ballot open to all 100,000 members, 96 percent of GroenLinks voters and 97 percent of PvdA voters approved the merger. The result creates Progressief Nederland (Pro), the largest Dutch political party by membership. Only two speakers opposed the union; a man wearing a Joop den Uyl T‑shirt who pleaded to keep the PvdA was booed by part of the hall.

A few years ago people said: they will never pull this off. While the right fragments, we have joined forces.

Klaver’s sights set on first place

Party leader Jesse Klaver, the driving force behind the fusion, told the congress that Pro can become the biggest party in the next general election. He pointed to the splintering on the right while the left has now united. Klaver also directed sharp criticism at the VVD, accusing the party of “holding this coalition hostage” and being “more concerned with itself than with the future of this country.” VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz immediately dismissed his call for cooperation.

Old critics join the celebration

Long‑time sceptics backed the merger. Former PvdA chairman Hans Spekman, who had opposed the union, announced he was joining Pro, urging the party and the FNV trade union to resist planned cuts to social security. Ex‑PvdA leader Ad Melkert, another early critic, stood applauding in the front row. PvdA chair Esther Mirjam‑Sent called the process “an intense journey” that required “a long breath,” while GroenLinks chair Katinka Eikelenboom recalled fierce internal debates that ultimately brought the parties closer.

Two distinct traditions merge

The PvdA was founded in 1946 and long belonged to the big three Dutch parties alongside the VVD and CDA. It produced four prime ministers — Schermerhorn, Drees, Den Uyl and Kok — and was closely linked to the FNV union and the VARA broadcaster. GroenLinks emerged much later, in 1990, from a merger of four small left‑wing parties (the Political Party of Radicals, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Communist Party of the Netherlands and the Evangelical People’s Party). It focused more on the environment and always remained in opposition. The fusion bridges these cultural differences.

The road to unification

GroenLinks and PvdA began talks in 2021. A pivotal moment came at the 2022 PvdA congress in Nieuwegein, where members pushed for faster integration and the Senate factions merged. Joint electoral lists followed, but results were mixed: the combined list lost to the PVV in 2023 and shed five seats in 2025. The merger completed on Saturday is the largest party fusion since the CDA was formed in 1980.

Local exceptions linger

Despite the national fusion, local branches show a more gradual path. In Maastricht, the GroenLinks and PvdA council factions will remain separate until the 2030 municipal elections, with both parties currently in the coalition. In Limburg’s provincial assembly, the PvdA sits in government while GroenLinks is in opposition, a split that will persist until the 2027 provincial vote. Elsewhere, pre‑existing local parties called PRO in Gulpen‑Wittem and Eijsden‑Margraten may cause name confusion.