These plans will not be “set in stone” and can be changed, says Van der Val. “These are really the first confirmations of how the goals should be achieved.” According to her, the elections do not change the “statutory task” that the provinces have to work out with their nitrogen plans before the mentioned date.
Deadline off the table
A spearhead of BBB leader Caroline van der Plas is her strong criticism of the government’s nitrogen policy. The party wants the deadline to halve nitrogen emissions by 2030 removed and farmers not forced to buy.
Given that the BBB is the largest party in all provinces after Wednesday’s election, there is a good chance that the party will become part of provincial governments. This could lead to the government’s plans on nitrogen being thwarted, because the provinces have an important role in their implementation.
‘Semipermeable’
The big victory of the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) in the provincial elections is, according to Prime Minister Mark Rutte, “an unequivocal signal from the voter,” he said in his weekly press conference after the Cabinet meeting. “We’ll have to do something with this signal here in The Hague. Even in the cabinet,” the prime minister said. “Obviously it is too early to tell how exactly the election outcome will shape politics.”
Rutte has not yet said whether he is willing to give up on the tough goal of halving nitrogen emissions by 2030. The prime minister said Johan Remkes had already written in his nitrogen report that an interim assessment should be carried out. According to him, the deadline has already become ‘semi-permeable’: not completely watertight.