BRUSSELS — A Dutch court Wednesday ruled that Prime Minister Dick Schoof’s government must ramp up efforts to cut nitrogen pollution in protected nature areas, handing Greenpeace Netherlands a significant legal win.
The verdict requires the Schoof administration to ensure that at least half of the country’s most vulnerable habitats fall below harmful nitrogen thresholds by 2030 — or pay a €10 million penalty. The fine is small change for a national government, but the ruling adds fresh pressure on The Hague to tackle a problem that has dogged multiple administrations.
Schoof’s team, in office since June 2024, slashed a €24.3 billion transition fund set up by predecessor Mark Rutte that was originally intended to buy out polluting farms and support sustainability efforts. Instead, the new, right-wing Cabinet shifted its focus to technological solutions and voluntary measures, aiming to reduce emissions without stoking rural unrest.
The court, however, insisted that without tangible financial and regulatory measures — especially targeting agriculture, transport and industry — the government risks further damage to nature and noncompliance with European Union environmental laws.