Rutte must convince Parliament that he can solve ongoing problems in Groningen | Politics

The House of Representatives is very critical of the role of Prime Minister Mark Rutte in recent years. On Tuesday evening, during a debate on the report of the parliamentary committee of inquiry on natural gas extraction in Groningen, all parties criticized the too lax attitude of the prime minister, who, the committee concluded, ‘has not made a difference’. It took too long before the problems in Groningen were taken seriously.

Member of Parliament Wybren van Haga (BVNL) has already announced a motion of no confidence. Other opposition parties may also do the same today, because Van Haga is particularly angry that gas extraction will not continue as usual in times of an energy crisis. The vote on the motions is next Tuesday.

The Chamber takes it highly that gas extraction in Groningen was increased in 2013, while the first warnings were that it had to be reduced to prevent earthquakes. The Chamber feels lied to because Rutte’s then cabinet argued that gas extraction could not be reduced because otherwise ‘elderly people in Limburg would be left out in the cold’. It is now clear that there was already a report that showed that extraction could indeed be reduced provided more foreign gas was imported. That information was withheld by civil servants from then Minister Henk Kamp (Economic Affairs).

The opposition parties said in the debate on Tuesday evening that they expect that a vote of no confidence will not reach a majority. They believe that the government parties are not critical enough of Rutte. ,,But what has to happen before the coalition says for once: enough is enough?” BBB MP Caroline van der Plas wondered. GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver: ,,At the Supplementary Affair, the previous cabinet felt that it had no choice but to resign because of the system failure. What’s the difference with now?”

The entire House wants more certainty that the government’s promises will be fulfilled and that the damage to the houses in Groningen will be repaired more quickly. This must be done faster in the earthquake area so that houses are not damaged in future earthquakes. In addition, according to the promises, the region will receive 250 million euros every year for the next three decades, for example to stimulate employment.

A large part of the House wants that money to be used, among other things, to build new railway lines in the region: the Lely line (Lelystad-Groningen) and the Lower Saxony line (Emmen-Stadskanaal). Both lines have been discussed for a long time and preparations have already been made, but it is not yet certain that they will come.

A majority also seems to want better guarantees that the compensation money for Groningen will also be reserved in the future when a new cabinet takes office. Finally, a large part of the House wants oil companies Shell and Exxon (the owners of the Groningen gas field) to be forced to pay more money to Groningen.

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