It would be ‘disastrous’ for the Netherlands if the nitrogen dossier was brought to a standstill by the BoerBurgerBeweging. That is what former VVD State Secretary Paul de Krom says in response to the BBB election victory. ‘If we want to move forward in this country, we must invest in installations that contribute to solving this problem. That space must be there.’
According to De Krom, permits are no longer issued in Brabant as a result of the nitrogen crisis. ‘Mrs Van der Plas comes across as reasonably sensible. Now it comes down to her. Now she has to contribute to solutions.’ The Netherlands is facing a major challenge in greening on the one hand and tackling the infrastructure and issuing sufficient permits on the other. That is going too slowly now, and if we don’t accelerate, we will get stuck there.’
Also listen | BNR’s Big Five – Paul de Krom (VNCI): ‘We are losing global market share in the chemical industry’
De Krom, now chairman of the Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry, was State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in the first Rutte cabinet from 2010 to 2012. The loss of his party in the provincial elections has hit hard. ‘I’ve been out for a long time, but the VVD is still my party.’
