Prime Minister Rutte and State Secretary Vijlbrief mainly radiated that they want to stand among the ordinary people in Groningen. They spoke emotionally about apologizing and acknowledging the suffering. They actually didn’t even want to talk about the 30 billion demand and “political horse-trading” about the debt of honor.
That had clearly been thought about. A crowded village house in Garmerwolde was the scene. The Prime Minister and State Secretary gave their official response to the damning report of the parliamentary committee of inquiry into gas extraction in front of a room with chairs for mainly grey-haired residents of Groningen. The press and the official entourage had to remain in the back of the room.
The suffering and the apologies
They mentioned names of residents, there was a poem by the city poet, they emphasized how hard it was for the young and the elderly and that this really should not have been the case. And they were talking about people from Groningen who first and foremost want a view of repairing the damage, strengthening houses and stopping gas extraction. About less bureaucracy, about a flexible arrangement for minor claims and about the suffering that was caused and that they offer their sincere apologies for that.
Then there was half an hour for critical questions from the press, who were allowed to squeeze through a crowded corridor to the bar next door. There it was briefly about the large gap between the amount of debt of honor that the Groningen administrators have requested. Which caused confusion in an inimitable way about the exact amounts. 40 billion requested by the region, 22 billion offered? Or was it 30 billion asked and 7.5 billion offered?
In any case, a big difference, and that was also negotiated last week. But Rutte and Vijlbrief actually thought that was a bit banal. It has to be about the people, right? With this they actually sensed the mood among many Groningen residents quite well.
Not everyone is natural gas free
However, that large difference in amounts does mean something. The region wanted all homes to be gas-free and that would require 6 billion euros. The cabinet offers a subsidy for heat pumps and insulation, all together for about 1.5 billion. In other words: by no means everyone is natural gas-free.
The region also wanted extra money to go directly to the municipalities and provinces, so that the North does not always have to go to The Hague for permission and accountability for amounts already committed. There’s nothing like that in the plan either. In other words: The Hague remains the boss in the North.
Ruth’s fate
After this, national politics must also be about the fate of Rutte, who does not look good in the natural gas story. The sting is now somewhat over because the cabinet response comes two months after the survey report itself. And because the discussion is now much more about the amounts for the debt of honor and the future of Groningen, instead of political heads rolling. That may not even be so bad for the Groningen people themselves, because Rutte does not give up easily and it is highly questionable what the region would gain from sending Vijlbrief away.