The statements of party leader Wopke Hoekstra of the CDA ‘scource’ with the agreements made in the coalition agreement, but the members of the cabinet still have confidence in each other. That is what Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday after a long day of debate. The coalition agreement therefore still stands: nitrogen emissions must have fallen by 50 percent by 2030.
A constitutional trick. That is how various MPs called Rutte’s explanation. As a member of the cabinet, Hoekstra (Minister of Foreign Affairs) supports the coalition agreements made, but as party leader of the CDA, he holds a slightly different opinion.
Remkes report
The cabinet will only discuss this opinion further after the report by nitrogen broker Remkes. That report is expected in early September. Only then does the CDA want to decide whether they will indeed continue to support the cabinet decision that the targets must be achieved by 2030.
On Friday, CDA leader Hoekstra distanced himself from the nitrogen targets set by the cabinet in a major interview in the AD. According to Hoekstra, the 2030 deadline does not necessarily have to be adhered to. A statement that has caused great unrest in the cabinet and led to an emergency debate.
‘A deal is a deal’
Coalition parties VVD and D66 stick to the agreements made. During the emergency debate, both parties indicated that they were not interested in the CDA’s suggestion to keep that term ‘less firmly’. “A deal is a deal,” said Hermans of the VVD. According to D66, it is crystal clear that the goals are not being tampered with.
CDA leader Wopke Hoekstra ultimately said he supported the cabinet policy and the coalition agreement and his interview. “I realize that’s chafing,” he said. According to Hoekstra, achieving those goals by 2030 is achievable in the vast majority of cases, but in places where that is not possible, there must be room to deviate.
Local CDA departments
A day after the interview in the newspaper, various local CDA departments around the Peel spoke with Hoekstra. They have asked him to keep his back straight. They prefer to see a change of course in nitrogen policy. Earlier, 30 local departments from Brabant and Limburg already issued a statement about the nitrogen dossier.
The CDA is under great pressure. The nitrogen policy leads to a storm of farmers’ protests. In the polls, the Christian Democrats see that their traditionally large following is beginning to shrink. Many voters switch to Caroline van de Plas’ party, the BBB. With the provincial elections in sight, the CDA wants to do something for the farmers’ supporters.
The coming weeks will show whether Hoekstra’s interview has been useful. Backtracking will be seen by the grassroots as another slap in the face. Holding on to the view that the goals in 2030 are not sacred can still lead to a cabinet crisis and even to the fall of the cabinet.