Eindhoven Airport is not a threat to Natura 2000 areas. The airport also adheres to the maximum number of 43,000 flight movements. Christianne van der Wal, the Minister of Nature and Nitrogen, does not intend to take action against the airport for these reasons. Mobilization for the Environment (MOB) had filed a lawsuit for this.
Johan Vollebroek’s action group has already won several lawsuits, including about stables whose nitrogen emissions were disputed. At the end of last year, MOB, with the support of the Brabant Environmental Federation and the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten, set its sights on Eindhoven Airport. That was not the first time. According to the environmental movements, illegal flights are being taken to and from the Eindhoven airport because no nature permit has been issued.
A matter of time
Van der Wal confirms that this permit has not (yet) been issued, but the minister also believes that Eindhoven Airport may make use of European rights that were established in 1994. In addition, an application for a nature permit is pending, which is expected to receive a positive assessment. The fact that the procedure takes so long is, according to the minister, because it is ‘complicated’. For example, Eindhoven Airport must provide new nitrogen calculations.
In Van der Wal’s opinion, it is already clear that all traffic to and from the airport (from planes to cars) does not harm nature. “Enforcing action in the interest of nature is therefore disproportionate,” said the minister.
No penalty
There is therefore no need to impose a penalty on the airport. However, the court must pay the Kingdom for the fact that it took a very long time to respond to the requests of the interest groups. A penalty of more than 1400 euros must be paid for this.
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