All members of this cabinet had also served in the second Balkenende cabinet, except for Bruno Bruins (VVD) the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science who was scheduled to succeed former State Secretary Mark Rutte (VVD) when the Second Balkenende cabinet fell unexpectedly. State Secretary for Finance Joop Wijn (CDA) and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Atzo Nicolaï (VVD) were promoted from State Secretaries to Minister of Economic Affairs (Wijn) and Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations (Nicolaï) to replace the Democrats 66 ministers of the second Balkenende cabinet.
All members of this cabinet had previously served in the previous Balkenende cabinet, except for Bruno Bruins (VVD), who was appointed as State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science. He replaced Mark Rutte (VVD) when the Second Balkenende cabinet fell unexpectedly. Joop Wijn (CDA) and Atzo Nicolaï (VVD) were promoted from State Secretaries to Ministers of Economic Affairs and Government Reform and Kingdom Relations respectively to replace the Democrats 66 ministers who left the cabinet.