Background nitrogen
Everyone is waiting for each other in nitrogen impasse
After the parliamentary debate yesterday (Tuesday 23 August), a cabinet crisis has not been averted, but has been postponed. The coalition parties are now waiting for the outcome of Johan Remkes' consultation process. In turn, he is waiting for the green light from the agricultural organizations for a second interview. And they are waiting for a hand from the cabinet. See the vicious nitrogen cycle here.
Remkes' first meeting with the agricultural organizations took place on 5 August. After feedback from LTO, this meeting was declared a failure by eight agricultural organizations.
The ball is in the cabinet
The cabinet would like to have a second meeting with the farmers' organisations. The latter have let it be known that the space that is now being offered in the field of innovations and based on emissions instead of precipitation is not enough. Movement is needed in terms of time frame, targets and the critical deposition value (KDW). There is also no solution for the PAS detectors. The cabinet has promised to come up with a response, but LTO Nederland has not yet seen it. The ball is therefore in the cabinet, according to LTO.
The second conversation with the agricultural organizations must be the last conversation in the Remkes process. Then he writes down his findings. That will be about how he sees the process, for example whether there should be a new round of conversations, and about the content. Even if the farmers do not want a second meeting, Remkes will make his report. The moderator has always indicated that he would prefer to be ready in August, the spokesperson said. If there is a second interview, this will have to take place in the short term (end of August, beginning of September). The findings will also not be long in coming.
The assignment that Remkes has been given is to 're-establish a relationship in which the content and discussion about a sustainable future for agricultural entrepreneurs and the rural area are central'. This is stated in the letter that the discussion leader received from the cabinet and which was made public yesterday (at the request of MP Pieter Omtzigt). Several cabinet members were themselves at the talks. Whether or not they succeeded in breaking out of the impasse should therefore not come as a big surprise.
A letter dated 1 July from Ministers Staghouwer and Van der Wal states that the discussions of moderator Remkes do not serve to bring the objectives and principles of the coalition agreement into question. In an interview in Algemeen Dagblad, Wopke Hoekstra (not as a member of the cabinet, but as party leader, he emphasizes) did put the target of 50% nitrogen reduction by 2030 up for discussion.
'In some cases need more time'
In his capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoekstra spoke in the House of Representatives last night. He indicated that he gave the interview to the AD in which he said that 2030 is not holy for the nitrogen targets has given as party leader of the CDA and that that 'scours'. According to him, 'the coalition agreement is actually in place at the moment' and it is not 'completely turned upside down'. "No, not at all. I say that we as CDA fully support the nature goals. I also say that 2030 is achievable in the vast majority of cases ... I also say that you should not look dogmatically and that I can imagine that in some cases you need more time."
According to Hoekstra, what he said about the critical deposition value (KDW) - that it should be removed from the law as soon as possible and the rapid arrival of an ecological authority is therefore essential - is in line with the government's vision. "I said it differently and I used my own wording for it, but that is also about ultimately wanting to see how conservation is actually in nature reserves. And for that you need such an ecological authority."
The cabinet is now waiting for Remkes' reflections. In the meantime, the coalition partners seem to keep open the possibility of extending the timeframe for the nitrogen targets (slightly). Two motions not to canonize 2030 for a 50% nitrogen reduction and a motion to stick to that year were voted down by the coalition parties in the House yesterday.
Linda van Eekeres
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