The parties agreed, among other things, that they would – symbolically – sometimes cross the border to campaign. They would mutually participate in flyer actions in both Dutch and Flemish municipalities.
PVV en Vlaams Belang halen banden aan: 'Een historisch moment' https://t.co/s9z3r6Tjng pic.twitter.com/7nbifaVD10
— AD Politiek (@ADPolitiek) September 7, 2017
PVV leader Geert Wilders announced that he had asked VB leader Tom Van Grieken advice about his experiences with municipal elections. The PVV will participate in the local elections for the first time in two municipalities.
“Geert Wilders will probably help with flyers in Flanders in September 2018. The date in the Netherlands has not yet been fixed”, Van Grieken told Belgian news agency Belga. He would not give more details for safety reasons.
Van Grieken spoke of an “historic moment in which we really met officially”. According to him, there is a lot that binds the parties together. “We share the language, we share the culture, we share the common history. But more than ever, we are bound by our political story. Our fight against islamization, to return our communities to our people.”
The Flemish leader pointed out that the two parties discussed the issues of healthcare and other issues (such as defense) for the first time as European issues. And they discussed their fight against Islamization. However, he stated that “our core business remains our core business”.
Wilders said he would also like to expand “bilateral” cooperation between the parties in the European Parliament. He mentioned working visits that will bring the parties in frequent contact.
The two party leaders stressed that they want to work closer together but not see a merger. “We still keep our own identity,” emphasized Van Grieken.
Historische bijeenkomst politici Vlaams Belang en PVV in Den Haag.
Welkom vrienden van het @vlbelang !! pic.twitter.com/9dNbJf0N5V
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) September 7, 2017