The Dutch political parties PvdA and GroenLinks are officially merging today to form a new entity called Pro. While this marks the end of their independent national presence after decades, the merger is not universal at the local level. In approximately ten municipalities, including Amsterdam, Maastricht, and Nijmegen, the parties will continue to operate separately. Some local branches cited practical hurdles, while others pointed to deep-seated ideological and cultural differences. In Amsterdam, the parties ran separately in the elections but have agreed to form a single joint faction. In Maastricht, officials acknowledged that the national pace of the merger was simply too fast for local members. Consequently, several local leaders will remain heads of their respective original parties for the next four years. Despite these exceptions, the overarching goal remains a full unification in the future.