The European Commission has written to the Netherlands urging it to make speed in reducing nitrogen-based pollution, according to a leaked letter widely quoted in the Dutch media.

The letter, from environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius, reportedly calls on the government to stick to its guns and ensure that nitrogen emissions have been halved by 2030.

The timing of the letter, which Dutch News has not seen, is opportune, given the pressure the cabinet is under to change the deadline to 2035 in the wake of the provincial election results earlier this month.

‘I am looking forward to the measures that will be implemented and the results,’ Sinkevičius is quoted as saying by the Financieele Dagblad.  In addition, Sinkevičius states that ‘continual alertness’ is needed to make sure that the Netherlands continues to reduce nitrogen emissions after 2030.

Dutch nature minister Christianne van der Wal has confirmed she has received a letter from Brussels but told reporters she was currently studying the contents. The fact that the letter has been leaked is ‘extremely irritating,’ the minister said.

Cabinet

The FD points out that the letter will also have an impact on differences within the cabinet. D66 is keen to stick to the 2030 deadline but the Christian Democrats, who were hammered in the vote two weeks ago, are reportedly open to change.

An important part of the government’s strategy is to tackle 2,000 to 3,000 farms and other industries which emit a large percentage of the nitrogen in areas where nature is hardest hit.

Van der Wal wants to either buy them out or help them to move elsewhere. However Brussels is currently looking at the plans to assess if they could be considered unfair state support.

BBB

Caroline van der Plas, whose pro-farmers party BBB was the big winner in the provincial elections with some 20% of the vote, wants the government to reset the date to 2035 and is opposed to any efforts to force farmers in environmentally-sensitive areas to shut down.

She said in a reaction that Brussels cannot decide how the Netherlands tackles the problem. ‘It is not up the commission how we reduce nitrogen,’ she said. ‘As long as nature is retained and recovers.’

She also questioned the authenticity of the letter, which was written in Dutch rather than English, which is usual. However, a spokesman for the commissioner told RTL that the letter was authentic.