The cabinet is now calling in Johan Remkes again to smoothen the national nitrogen debate. That raises important questions.
That went surprisingly fast. On Thursday morning, former agriculture minister Cees Veerman launched his proposal to have someone mediate between the cabinet and the angry farmers. Johan Remkes was appointed on Sunday. Prime Minister Rutte especially hopes that his experienced party colleague can remove some misunderstandings among the farmers, starting with the idea that the cabinet is out for the destruction of the peasantry in the Netherlands.
There is something to be said for that thought in itself. The debate has been totally poisoned by the conspiracy theories that sideline populists like the MPs of Forum for Democracy have been spreading for quite some time. Some antidote will come in very handy.
Nevertheless, the arrival of Remkes raises two essential questions. Firstly, about the nitrogen plans themselves. A large majority in the House of Representatives gave the green light for this last week. The core of the policy is that the provinces must – now really – make plans at a local level with the farmers to relieve the nature areas.
This was precisely based on the idea that provincial politicians know the situation better on the ground, but without questioning the ultimate goal: by 2030, the nitrogen load in 74 percent of the Dutch nature reserves must have fallen below the critical limit value. Now reintroducing a national mediator at least fuels the idea that there is still room for discussion about that goal, as the farmers expressly expect. New uncertainty and delays are lurking.
The second question relates to administrative responsibility in this file. Ministers Van der Wal and Staghouwer have only been there for six months, the nitrogen plan is only a few weeks old, the prime minister himself will soon be the most experienced Dutch head of government of all time, and yet there is no one left in the cabinet with sufficient authority to discuss the matter with the farmers themselves?
Last spring, for example, we also met the government commissioner against transnational behavior and the special coordinator of sanctions against Russia. No wonder that a growing part of the House of Representatives has the impression that this cabinet outsources every problem as soon as it threatens to become difficult.
Accountability is not Rutte IV’s strongest point, said Jeroen Dijsselbloem, chairman of the Dutch Safety Board on Friday. Don’t take responsibility either.
The position of the newspaper is expressed in the Volkskrant Commentaar. It is created after a discussion between the commentators and the editor-in-chief.