Fireworks ban nearly a reality: VVD breaks from coalition assuring Senate majority
Dutch coalition party VVD has announced its intent to support a general ban on fireworks in the Netherlands, if such a measure includes a few specific conditions. With the liberal party breaking away from two coalition partners, a fireworks ban is assured to have the backing of 45 of 75 senators in the Dutch Senate.
Advocates for a fireworks ban will still need two more votes in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament. While the largest and smallest coalition parties, PVV and BBB, are opposed to such a measure, their fourth partner, NSC, is still undecided. Opposition party Denk has not yet announced its intention.
The fireworks ban has long been an issue pushed by the Greens in the left-wing alliance, GroenLinks-PvdA, and has always had the support of animal rights party PvdD. The VVD has long been divided on the matter, but the internal divide was quelled by a compromise during a meeting on Tuesday.
The VVD said that mayors must be able to grant exemptions to associations putting on fireworks shows at New Year’s Eve, including neighborhood groups using consumer-grade fireworks. Cities, towns and villages must continue to be able to organize their own professional shows, as well.
Such a ban must include an enforcement strategy that includes a better approach to tackling illegal fireworks, cooperation between the police and municipalities, and support from those municipalities which have already introduced local fireworks restrictions.
Further, the VVD will demand that “entrepreneurs should not be the victims. The sector must be compensated in a fair and proper way,” wrote VVD MP Ingrid Michon-Derkzen in a message to her party colleagues.
Support from the VVD is assured “if, and only if” those “conditions are met,” she said.
With the VVD on board, the vote count in the Tweede Kamer currently stands at 74 in favor and 53 opposed. Those in favor include the 24 parliamentarians with the VVD, joining the 25 members from the largest opposition party, GroenLinks-PvdA. Another nine votes are expected from D66, five from CDA, three each from PvdD, SGP and ChristenUnie, and two more from Volt.
Those opposed include the 37 Tweede Kamer members from PVV, seven from BBB, five from left-wing opposition party SP, three from extreme-right opposition party FvD, and one more from far-right party JA21. There are 20 people representing NSC in the Tweede Kamer, and three more representing Denk.
When NSC agreed to join the governing coalition last year to form the first Cabinet under Prime Minister Dick Schoof, NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt insisted on an extra-parliamentary Cabinet. He demanded that coalition party members be allowed to keep distance from the Cabinet, and break from parties when voting on a range of issues.
