On Tuesday evening, a large majority in the Senate voted in favor of a motion stating that it is irresponsible to introduce the Environmental Act on January 1, 2024. The motion was written by MP Saskia Kluit of PvdA-GroenLinks. Co-signatories came from the Party for the Animals, SP, BBB, Ja21 and OPNL. 50Plus also supported the motion.
Advised against by the VNG
Remarkably enough the motion Not only advised against by Minister Hugo de Jonge of the Interior, but also by the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG). The minister emphatically called the motion ‘unworkable’ on Tuesday afternoon and pointed out that the Senate approved the implementation of the Environmental Act in March. The defense of the authors of the motion is that the minister has not complied with previously submitted motions and commitments made by him with regard to the implementation of the law.
The VNG also sent an adverse message to the Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure, Water Management and the Environment yesterday morning to warn about the motion. “In the run-up to the requested debate, we as VNG would like to indicate that we and municipalities support the law and that any postponement is irresponsible,” a member of the group staff wrote. ‘To go back on decisions made now that everyone is busy preparing is rash.’
A majority of the Senate continues to believe that there are currently too many problems with the Digital System of the Environmental Act (DSO), as well as with the legal system, to allow the Environmental Act to come into effect on January 1. That is why she wants the minister to discuss this with the umbrella organizations of the decentralized authorities within two weeks and report on this.
Constitutionally ‘not possible’
A spokesperson for Minister De Jonge said that another postponement of the introduction of the Environmental Act would not be an option: ‘Systems have been fine-tuned, work processes and local regulations have been adjusted. It is not possible to reverse this.’ In fact: ‘Such a perpendicular turn is not constitutionally possible,’ the minister believes.
Finally, the spokesperson reports: ‘The parties involved have indicated several times that they are sufficiently ready for implementation. Progress has been reported to the Senate several times in progress letters in recent months.’
2023-11-02 10:03:18
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