Agreement reached on Netherlands climate law

After months of negotiations, the parliamentary factions of GroenLinks, PvdA, VVD, CDA, D66, ChristenUnie and SP have reached an agreement on a new Climate Act for the Netherlands, NU.nl reports.

The proposed law states that the Netherlands has to reduce its emissions by 49 percent in 2030 and 95 percent in 2050 compared to emission levels in 1990. By 2050 all energy in the Netherlands must be generated sustainably.

The Climate Act is a further elaboration of an initiative launched by GroenLinks and PvdA last year. SP, D66 and ChristenUnie joined the initiative soon afterwards, and coalition parties VVD and CDA joined in after the government formation.

The proposed law will now be submitted to the Council of State for advice. The parliamentary treatment of the law is expected to happen after the summer break. The seven parties together account for 113 seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of parliament. The expectation is that due to the broad support for this law, it will also pass through the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, relatively easily.

Should this law be adopted, the Netherlands will be the 7th country in the world with its own Climate Act. The United Kingdom was the first country to implement such a law in 2008. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France and Mexico now also have Climate Acts.