Rutte said he reacted poorly to critical Groningen gas & earthquakes report

Prime Minister Mark Rutte admitted that the tone of his response to the investigative report on gas extraction in Groningen was a poor moment. “I did not handle that well,” the prime minister said during his regular weekly press conference on Friday. He added that he was tired that day, partly due to a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

“I would have rather stayed in bed that day,” he said. “But that is no excuse.” He disputed concerns about “metal fatigue,” or that he might no longer have the energy to be prime minister.

When the damning report came out two weeks ago, Rutte only said that it hit him hard. He refused to talk about the content of the report and did not respond to questions.

The prime minister, who has been in office for more than twelve years, is explicitly mentioned in the report. The commission found that he did not do enough for the people of Groningen. According to the investigative committee, he did “not make a difference" for Groningen residents, when he would have been expected to do so.

The prime minister said in his initial response that it would be “disrespectful” to respond right away.

He was widely criticized for his initial reaction. Rutte admitted that he now understands the criticisms. The prime minister has already apologized twice in the past for the way he dealt with Groningen.

He also previously apologized for his role in the Cabinet formation scandal and the childcare benefits scandal. Rutte was also heavily criticized during both the nitrogen crisis and the coronavirus crisis because of his poor communication.

Although Rutte has now read large parts of the report, a substantive response was still missing on Friday. First, there will be a debate between the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, and the committee that produced report, and only then will the Cabinet respond substantively. This will not happen before the May vacation period when the Tweede Kamer is in recess. Rutte already said that the Cabinet will probably adopt "most and maybe even all" recommendations from the report, but he cannot promise anything about that now.