GroenLinks and PvdA Reveal Their New Name: Progressief Nederland, Known as PRO
After years of building toward a formal merger, the two parties have chosen a name designed to signal broad appeal rather than ideological heritage. The green rose is in, the red one is out. Not everyone is convinced.
GroenLinks and the PvdA unveiled their new joint name on Thursday evening: Progressief Nederland, to be known in everyday use as PRO. The announcement was made at a party event in Halfweg attended by around 1,000 supporters, where party leader Jesse Klaver presented both the name and a 22-page manifesto outlining the new party's direction. The formal merger takes effect in June, when an inaugural congress will be held. From that point, the names GroenLinks and PvdA will no longer be used.
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The name and logo
The new logo features the traditional PvdA rose, but changed from red to green, combining the visual heritage of the PvdA with the colour most associated with GroenLinks. The party presented the new identity alongside a manifesto described as "pro-fair, pro-green and pro-social", setting out ambitions including tackling inequality, increasing taxes on large companies and giving the government a stronger role in healthcare, education and housing.
The logo is explicitly described as "a movement of green social-democrats", intended to acknowledge both streams the party comes from. The slogan at the launch event, repeated throughout the hall, was "Welcome home."
Why this name
Klaver said the name was deliberately chosen. "Progressive means fighting for a fair and just society. The mission of our movement is progress. Not merely for a few or the wealthiest, but progress for everyone." He acknowledged that the new name contains no reference to the social-democratic, green or left-wing roots of the two merging parties, but said this does not mean the political direction is changing. "We stand where we belong: proudly left of centre."
The manifesto states that the party wants to be a broad popular movement striving for progress for as many people as possible. "The government must take back the wheel from the market," it states. Klaver said a green future and progress for ordinary people go hand in hand.
The road to the merger
Talks between GroenLinks and PvdA began gaining momentum from 2021, after both parties had experienced a series of disappointing election results. The belief was that together they could win more seats in the Tweede Kamer and secure stronger positions in provincial and local government. In 2023, under PvdA leader Frans Timmermans, they contested the Tweede Kamer elections together for the first time.
In a membership referendum last June, 88 percent of PvdA members and 89 percent of GroenLinks members voted in favour of creating a new party. The combined membership stands at 103,000, making it the largest party by membership in the Netherlands.
The timing comes after a mixed electoral run. GroenLinks-PvdA lost five seats in the October 2025 Tweede Kamer elections and, while it was the largest national party in the March 2026 municipal elections, it also lost a significant number of council seats.
A name that divides opinion
The reception has been mixed. A panel survey conducted by Hart van Nederland found that only 41 percent of people who voted for GroenLinks-PvdA in the previous elections considered the new name a good choice, while 44 percent called it unsuitable. Among all Dutch voters, only 19 percent found Progressief Nederland a good name, compared to 51 percent who considered it a poor choice.
Among the party's own voters, the most common criticism was that something "social" is missing from the name, cited by 36 percent. A further 24 percent found the name too generic and 21 percent said it was not sufficiently distinctive.
Communication experts offered divided assessments. Brand strategist Marc Oosterhout said the choice was strategically sound. "Around 40 percent of Dutch voters are progressive, so with this name you could potentially persuade a significant portion of voters. The addition of 'Nederland' makes it broad and ambitious." He noted, however, that the word progressive does not automatically carry the classic social-democratic values traditionally associated with the PvdA.
Consultant Marjolein Kampschreur was more critical of the visual identity. "I find the new logo cluttered. You can see they tried very hard to make one thing out of two worlds." She also noted the font resembles that of the SP. On the name itself she said it "feels more like GroenLinks and D66 — a little too high-minded, perhaps even slightly elitist."
Communication expert Victor Vlam argued the new name marks the definitive farewell to the social-democratic roots of the PvdA, suggesting the party is shifting its focus toward more highly educated voters.
What happens next
The party would like to start using the name Progressief Nederland immediately in parliament, but it is not yet clear whether that is permitted. The name GroenLinks-PvdA may formally remain in use in the Tweede Kamer until the next elections. The official founding congress of PRO takes place in June 2026.
Klaver said he believes PRO can become the largest party in the next Tweede Kamer election. "If we work hard, and above all remain true to ourselves."
