Hundreds of millions wrongly sent to nature clubs

According to the European Court of Justice, nature organizations wrongly received subsidies of the Dutch state for the purchase of nature. The European Commission now has to determine again whether the state aid is illegal.

In the period from 1993 to 2012, nature reserves and the 12 provincial landscapes received subsidies for the purchase of new nature reserves. As a result, private individuals who also wanted to purchase land had less chance of making purchases.

About 20 private individuals have objected to the European Commission's subsidy. They were already proved right by the European Union 2 years ago. Last Thursday, the European Court confirmed that ruling. If the European Commission now comes to the same conclusion, it is quite possible that the subsidy will have to be repaid.

No flag out yet
"However, it is not that far yet," says Berend Pastoor, director of the Private Land Ownership Federation (FPG), realistically. According to him, the flag cannot be removed yet. "But this is an important step in a very lengthy process. It is clear that the European Commission has to do its homework again. It will have to reassess and substantiate its previous statement."

According to Pastoor, the latter can take months if not years, so there is no definitive judgment for the time being. Nevertheless, he is satisfied with the current ruling of the European Court. "The Land Owners' Equal Rights Association (which raised the issue a few years ago, ed.) has scored points."

Equal Rights
According to Pastoor, it is important that if space is made for nature, everyone has equal opportunities in the distribution. "If financial resources are made available, they should not only be reserved for nature organizations. There are more parties that can manage nature, including private landowners."

Most agricultural entrepreneurs are not enthusiastic about developing more nature, Pastoor admits. "But if it is the case, then it would be nice if you as a sector also have a share in it." Equal Rights is therefore an important theme that FPG brings to the attention of LNV when formulating current policy.

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