The Flemish government is in a deep crisis. There was no agreement on nitrogen, but N-VA and Open Vld have supported a note of principle that concluded the negotiations on Sunday evening. What does the crucial document say, which coalition partner CD&V continues to oppose?
In essence, it does not differ much from the nitrogen plan that the Flemish government had already put on the table last year. “The core measures remained intact,” David De Pue, a researcher at the Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Research (ILVO) told ‘De Wereld Today’ on VRT’s Radio 1. “The reduction of emissions in various sectors, the risk of closure for some companies, the distinction between agriculture and industry: all this is still there”.
The 0.025 percent emission standard for agriculture is even stricter than the 1 percent for industry: the distinction made for this in the memorandum is “legally correct,” says the researcher. According to De Pue, there are -however- arguments for and once morest.
For pigs and poultry, there must be around 60 percent fewer emissions by 2030, for cattle 15 to 20 percent. The elements intact, the deadline different: the “big polluters” on a black list will have to close. When? You negotiate for one closure in 2030 and not in 2035 as the government would like but another thorn in the side is what will actually happen to the sector following 2030. Nobody knows this.
But the draft is not legally binding, says VRT.
