The merger of GroenLinks and PvdA — the Netherlands' largest membership party
Part of: Dutch Political Parties
Progressief Nederland — abbreviated PRO — is the new party formed from the merger of GroenLinks (Green Left) and PvdA (Labour). The formal founding congress takes place on 13 June 2026 in Den Bosch.
The two parties had already been running together since the 2023 elections as a combined parliamentary list, effectively operating as one bloc in the Tweede Kamer. The merger makes it official.
With 103,000 members, PRO is the largest membership party in the Netherlands — bigger than VVD, bigger than PVV (which has exactly one member). It is also the largest party in Dutch municipalities and the Eerste Kamer (Senate), making it a significant opposition force even while out of national government.
The merger pitch is "progress for everyone, not just the wealthiest few" — a deliberately broad framing that tries to hold together GroenLinks's urban climate voters and PvdA's traditional working-class Labour base.
PRO is in opposition to the Schoof cabinet (PVV, VVD, NSC, BBB). They have been vocal critics of the BTW increase on culture and hospitality — it was a GroenLinks-PvdA motion that D66 and CDA joined to try to reverse the automatic increase in mortgage deduction.
Whether the merger holds its two voter bases together. GroenLinks voters are typically younger, urban, university-educated, climate-focused. PvdA voters have historically included older, working-class, union-affiliated voters. These groups don't always want the same things. The PRO pitch is that they do.
These guides are written to help you understand the Netherlands — not to replace professional advice. We do our best to be accurate but we make mistakes and information goes out of date. For anything that affects your legal status, taxes, finances, or health, verify with an official source or a qualified advisor.