Citizens have the right to be governed by a reliable government. This means that administrators keep to agreements and that cabinet members jointly propagate policy choices – without concealing the fact that there are political differences between parties. Statements made by Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs, CDA) in the General Newspaper did violate that principle. Hoekstra broke with the agreements made by the fourth Rutte cabinet (VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie) in the coalition agreement last year. The four parties agreed that the targets for nitrogen reduction must be achieved more quickly: not in 2035, but in 2030. Hoekstra suddenly called this agreement ‘not sacred’ at the end of last week. According to Hoekstra, “the process needs to be restarted”. “And there are no dogmas.” General-sounding sentences that put a bomb under the coalition agreements, and thus under Rutte IV. Calling agreements dogmas means that agreements can no longer be made with the CDA. Of course, a coalition agreement can be broken open in the meantime. The world is changing and certainties are disappearing. When Rutte IV took office, there was still no war in Ukraine and there was no loss of purchasing power. It is necessary to rethink expenditure for Defense or poverty policy. The situation is different with nitrogen. The government’s plans have caused a great deal of social unrest, but that should not be the reason for sacrificing the objectives just like that.
It is very bad that Hoekstra has made the functioning of a fellow minister virtually impossible with his statements. Christianne van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen, VVD) has been appointed to tell a difficult story to the agricultural sector. The story that it is no longer like that. Van der Wal is seriously threatened. By distancing himself from her, he makes Van der Wal vulnerable. He undermines her position both politically and personally. The party interest that CDA leader Hoekstra had in his statements – bad polls, the advance of the BoerBurgerBeweging, a grumbling supporters – should not be more important than that.
It is understandable that the government is thinking about the consequences of policy choices. The nitrogen policy is completely turning the agricultural sector upside down, and farmers are very concerned about the future of their business. The government’s communication to date has not been attractive, sometimes downright messy. That has only increased the polarization that Hoekstra is now opposing. The only solution is not to start talking with two mouths. On the contrary, it only exacerbates the problem. Farmers can now get the impression that everything might change again. And worse, that disruptive protest makes sense. Mediator Johan Remkes is currently talking with cabinet representatives and other stakeholders about ways to find a way out of the impasse. Remkes’ job description is not that the nitrogen targets are negotiable. Hoekstra, whose party had just argued for an independent mediator, has now also made Remkes’ work a lot more difficult.
The House of Representatives will debate Hoekstra’s statements on Tuesday. The nitrogen crisis must be solved to save nature and keep the Netherlands habitable. It is to be hoped that the cabinet will continue to propagate this simple message, even in difficult times, and will not be tempted into further discord. The crisis is too big for that.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of August 23, 2022