New Dutch government promises radical changes to energy policy (Gas in transformation)

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“The Netherlands’ reputation as one of the more cooperative EU member states could be a thing of the past,” given the political challenges of migration, climate and agriculture.

Following the November Dutch elections, which ended with a huge shift to the right, a new right-wing coalition government was formed in May. It consists of the Dutch conservative parties PVV, VVD and NSC, but also the citizen farmers’ movement BBB, which has promised to introduce radical changes to the country’s energy policy and to scale back its climate ambitions. The PVV, led by Geert Wilders, won a majority of seats in the Dutch parliament, but has moderated its more extreme views in order to gain the cooperation of other parties in forming a government. The four parties have agreed a coalition pact entitled Hope, Courage and Pride, which forms the basis of the new government’s programme and political plans for the next four years, promising to take “people’s concerns seriously”. Key to them are energy security and adaptation to climate change, watering down the Dutch green agenda and, at the urging of farmers, confronting the EU and its green policies. The pact also states that the government…