Van der Plas points out that the law must pass through the Senate and that the situation is different from that of the House of Representatives. “I’m curious to know what happens.” Just like Van der Plas, GroenLinks also has problems with Van der Wal’s fund. According to GroenLinks MP Laura Bromet, the fund is “not defined enough”. “We’re afraid it’s a blank check and we don’t want it. We really want every penny of that $24 billion to benefit the agriculture transition. We don’t have enough faith in that yet.’
“We don’t trust enough”
GroenLinks has presented several amendments to the law, but Van der Wal does not respond: “We have received a letter in which he advises against all the amendments, which means that he cannot be in favour”. Bromet calls it interesting because there is a majority for the fund in the House of Representatives, but not in the Senate. “I am very curious how the cabinet will organize itself.”
‘I wonder what will happen’
Critic
According to Bromet, the Senate also believes that much public money should go to the goals it considers important: “The improvement of nature, the climate challenge, water quality that is not up to par in the Netherlands.” Van der Plas calls the fund a thousand things towel. “And if it turns out that we spent 24,000 million euros and it didn’t help, it didn’t work or it didn’t go well or a lot of money went to consultancies, I’m critical of that.”
“I’m just afraid this law will be turned into a Christmas tree by the opposition like this.”
Christmas tree
According to VVD MP Thom van Campen, it is essential to set up that nitrogen fund. Van Campen thinks it is right that the opposition wants to know what that money is being spent on, but he adds that the law has made a number of very strict requirements for this. ‘It must meet the goals we have together for nature restoration, goals related to water quality and cleaner agriculture. These objectives are included in this law. I’m just afraid that this law will be turned into a Christmas tree by the opposition like this.’ Van Kampen points out that this law concerns precisely the establishment of that fund.