Gov't pushes €10 mil. into improving air quality in Dutch cities

Air quality in Dutch city centers will meet European standards by the end of this year, according to a new prognoses State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven of Infrastructure presented to parliament on Monday. To help achieve this goal, Van Veldhoven is pushing 10 million euros extra into measures to improve air quality in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Eindhoven, Rotterdam and Utrecht, ANP reports.

Part of the extra money will go towards subsidies for electric cars in Amsterdam, according to the news wire. Bram van Liere, deputy campaign manager for traffic at Milieudefensie, is pleased with the extra investment. "It is a first step towards the exceedance of the air quality standards in the city centers now being resolved faster than the government had previously planned", he said.

Van Veldhoven also expects that the problems of air quality standards being exceeded in Nederweert and Someren due to livestock farming will be resolved by 2030 at the latest.

"To make the air really healthy, more measures are needed quickly", Van Liere added to the news wire. "Every year, 12 thousand people die in the Netherlands as a result of unhealthy air. That is not acceptable."