Agriculture Minister Piet Adema has a lot to explain to the House of Representatives today. He has already said that he should have better informed the House about stricter rules on fertilizers in Europe. The question is whether Adema deliberately misinformed the House or whether it was an error of assessment. Opposition parties are not happy.
Late last week it was announced that measures to combat manure pollution of ditches and waterways should come into force from 1 March. Brussels is not satisfied with the transition year proposed by the cabinet. It is now clear that his ministry was already aware of the attitude of the European Commission in December.
It is clear for Caroline van der Plas, BBB MP. ‘We are constantly misinformed here in the House. Now from Adema, but this is a big problem throughout the cabinet.’ And this is serious, says Laura Bromet of GroenLinks. “The minister had a month to inform the Chamber.”
Estimation error
The coalition parties have a different voice. For example, Thom van Campen (VVD) speaks of an error of judgement. “There were agreements with the European Commission and I think the minister wanted to make it as practical as possible for farmers, but there was no commission stamp.”
Political journalist Leendert Beekman also speaks of an error of judgement. In a letter to the Chamber, Adema says he was informed by Brussels on December 8, when he was informed that the European Commission had declared that the transition year was not possible. Adema then said that a decision will be taken in mid-January, but there is no room for Brussels».
But then Adema “is not suitable as an agriculture minister,” says Caroline van der Plas (BBB). “Piet Adema is a very nice man, he’s very good, but if you say you misjudged the thing, then you’re not suitable.”
Apologies
According to Beekman, Adema must apologize to the House on the one hand. Also, you need to clarify how you will deal with the Brussels rules in the future. “I want to know how this could happen and how he will be honest with the House and the farmers,” says Laura Bromet (GroenLinks). As for Tjeerd de Groot (D66), the minister should stop with “goat paths, which are of no use to anyone”.
CDA deputy Derk Boswijk also wants to know if the dictates of Brussels can be ignored. According to Beekman, this is not possible and, if it were to happen, hefty fines would follow. “And Boswijk knows that too,” Beekman says.
For the moment, the majority in the House of Representatives still has faith in Adema, especially among the coalition parties. “It’s fifty-fifty,” says Beekman. “It will be a difficult day for the minister”.
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
