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Dutch Parliament: Left and right unite in air quality debate to demand EU-critical attitude

28 June 2006

Dutch Parliament: Left and right unite in air quality debate to demand EU-critical attitude

SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen and her colleague Paul de Krom of the centre-right liberal have expressed their satisfaction with the EU-critical statements regarding air quality policy made by Christian Democrat Secretary of State Pieter van Geel. The Environment Secretary has by his own account protested against a further tightening of norms which takes no account of the particular circumstances of such a densely populated country as the Netherlands, for which the new standards are simply unreachable unless drastic measures are taken.

Simply to vote in favour of unachievable air quality norms would, both SP and VVD argued, be enormously naïve. Measures which the Netherlands wants to take which would make a real difference to air quality, such as the compulsory installation of soot-filters, would in fact be forbidden under Brussels' new rules. Van Velzen and De Krom, speaking on behalf of parties at opposite ends of the parliamentary spectrum, agree that the Netherlands should not vote for targets which cannot be met unless measures are taken to tackle the pollution at source, and congratulated the Secretary of State on his refusal to do so, calling on him to maintain this position. However, it now appears that the majority of members of the EU's Council of Ministers of the Environment are unwilling to postpone the adoption of the new norms and that in the Council's opinion the Netherlands must,at the end of the day, toe the line.

SP and VVD agree that the new norms are unreachable for such a densely populated country as the Netherlands, and find it unacceptable that their application could bring the building trade to a dead stop at a time when housing is so badly needed. A good reputation is worth a great deal, but that doesn't mean that the Dutch must always try to be top of the class.

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