How unified is the government? Additional included parliamentary debate after Hoekstra . remarks

Do we still have a unified government that can work on solutions to the major problems related to nitrogen, asylum and purchasing power? Opposition and coalition parties also want clarity, as deputy prime minister and CDD leader Hoekstra unexpectedly distanced themselves from the government’s nitrogen targets set Friday in a national morning newspaper.

After the cabinet swore for months that it should go to court and that road and housing construction would stop working, Hoekstra in AD said the goal of cutting nitrogen emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 was no longer sacred to his party. .

The interview did not go well with other government parties and led to disagreements within the cabinet. Insiders say the statements made by the CDA leader surprised his colleagues did not benefit the consensus and atmosphere in the coalition.

The House of Representatives has asked Ministers Rutte, Kaag, Hoekstra and Van Genip to join the debate. The debate applicant and the largest opposition party PVV declared – not for the first time – that he did not trust the Cabinet and again announced a motion of no-confidence. Whether it will get a majority is highly questionable, but other parties also have many questions and criticisms.

For example, coalition parties will have questions about the timing of the CDA leader. First approve nitrogen policy as Deputy Prime Minister, then voice your concerns through the media while broker Remkes is still working on a complex process?

Moreover, both the opposition and coalition parties will want to know what Hoekstra’s statements mean for nitrogen policy. Roth, Kaag and van der Waal said Friday that the 2030 goals are simply government policy that will stay in place.

What is nitrogen and why is it a problem?

Thirty local CDA departments in Brabant and Limburg wrote in a press release yesterday that they consider Hoekstra’s comments supportive and hope the party will stand firm in the debate today and take the next step.

In order to make it clear whether parties are now committed to the goals, GroenLinks introduces a proposal that forces government parties to show their colors.

Then it will have to be clear whether the parties are committed to them or are also open to turning those goals into, say, 2035. Minister van der Waal has said several times that there is no time to lose and that 2030 must be committed.

The question of how strong the alliance is will be asked at the beginning of the discussion and perhaps again at the end of the discussion. The course of the discussion will at least partially answer this question.