Prime Minister Rutte once again proudly stated on Friday that the Netherlands is one of the richest countries in the world. But that apparently does not mean that more can be done for Groningen.
The Rutte cabinet is desperately trying to create the image that it wants to make good some of the suffering caused by gas extraction in Groningen. But Rutte will have to come up with more than just a charm offensive.
Let’s sum it up again. A maddening bureaucratic mess has been made of the damage repair and reinforcement, which has left thousands of Groningen, but also Drents and Frisians in uncertainty. Groningen has been fooled about the need for extra gas extraction. And of the 363 billion euros in gas revenues, only a fraction ended up in the North.
To create the impression that Groningen does matter now, the parliamentary committee of inquiry first went to Zeerijp to present its report with those hard conclusions. On Tuesday, Mark Rutte and Hans Vijlbrief will come to Garmerwolde to explain the government’s formal response to the report. A response that has been remarkably long in coming.
The cabinet members really give the impression that they are serious, that something really needs to improve and that the people of Groningen have justified complaints. But with the deeds and money that go with those words, things aren’t looking good yet. Last week, Rutte and Vijlbrief came to Groningen to negotiate the ‘debt of honour’, with the cabinet reportedly only offering 20 billion euros, while Groningen is asking for more than 40 billion in total.
Extremely painful that apparently a game of handshake has been played about the debt of honor. The difficult financial situation of the government will play a role in this. A substantial amount for Groningen may have been manageable until a year ago, when the trees grew to the sky and the state could borrow money for free. That is completely different now that interest rates have risen.
During his weekly press conference, Rutte once again announced on Friday that the Netherlands is one of the richest countries in the world. But when asked whether something more could be done for the North, he made a frugal face. The cabinet will have to come up with more on Tuesday.