Greenpeace wins case against the Netherlands about insufficient Dutch nitrogen-approach

This morning, the District Court of the Hague issued its final verdict in the case filed by Greenpeace against the State of the Netherlands in light of its insufficient nitrogen-approach, and the consequences of this for our most vulnerable nature.

The court held that the State is acting unlawfully because in previous years it had done too little to counter the deterioration (and threat of deterioration) of the most vulnerable nature. This applies in particular to the nature on an ‘Urgent List’ of nitrogen-sensitive nature in Dutch Natura 2000-areas, as drawn up by leading ecologists. The court therefore orders the State to achieve its own statutory nitrogen target for 2030, whereby, and as previously not the case, the State must give priority to the areas that require the greatest care and are on the ‘Urgent List’.  If the State does not achieve this target, it will forfeit a penalty of 10 million euros. The judgment has been declared provisionally enforceable.

Greenpeace is being assisted in this procedure by lawyers Bondine Kloostra and Brechtje Vossenberg.

For more information, read the press release from Greenpeace Netherlands (in Dutch).

greenpeace foto

Annexes (in Dutch)

Media (in Dutch)

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