Employer’s association wants clarity about government’s implementation of nitrogen policy

Although the parliamentary letter on nitrogen provides clarity on the share that the various sectors must contribute to solving the nitrogen problem, the employers' associations VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland are still missing something. They want to know how much of the nitrogen that is released can be used for building new houses and infrastructure, but also for clean factories.

This clarity is necessary because it is crucial for the energy transition and the economy that licensing gets back on track after 3,5 years of standstill, VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland said. Together with farmers, construction companies and nature conservation associations, the business associations had previously drawn up their own nitrogen plan, in which, in addition to space for nature and for so-called PAS notifiers, sufficient space for economic development was also important. These are farmers who were exempt from the permit requirement for nitrogen emissions, but who still need a permit after a court ruling.

It is also necessary to quickly buy out the largest nitrogen emitters. In this way, progress can be made.

VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland's plans for industry to reduce nitrogen emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2030 are something to behold. This nitrogen reduction "goes hand in hand with the investments in CO2 reduction" that will see the industry emit 60 percent less CO2, as well as agriculture (40 percent) by 2030 . "This means everyone is delivering more than their fair share," they said.