The Flemish Government has reached an agreement on nitrogen emissions. Just before 3:30pm on Friday the Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon (nationalist) tweeted that an agreement had been reached between the three parties that make up the Flemish coalition on the issue that had caused a spilt in the Flemish Government. While the nationalists and liberals supported proposals to reduced nitrogen emissions that had been proposed by the Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (nationalist), the Christian democrats refused to accept the proposals as they stood.
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Flemish Government reaches agreement on nitrogen emissions
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Under the agreement reached on Friday, the issues that were of concern to the Christian democrats will now be the subject of further examination. Earlier on Friday several compromise proposals were discussed by the Flemish Cabinet.
During the discussions compromises were reached on two bones of contention that were bones of contention for the Christian democrats. The Christian democrats felt that industry and agriculture should be treated equally when it comes to efforts required to reduce nitrogen emissions. In addition to this the Christian democrats wanted emissions rights from agricultural businesses that close to be able to be transferred to other agricultural business in the area.
The compromise means that both these points will be the subject of further examination in form of a public enquiry. The public enquiry will examine if the Christian democrats’ demands are feasible within the framework of the Flemish Government’s stated aim of halving nitrogen emissions in our region by 2030.
During a press conference held just before 4pm on Friday the Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon said that if the public enquiry finds that the measures demanded by the Christian democrats won’t be detrimental to achieving the goal of halving nitrogen emissions “we will implement them”.
The compromise reached on Friday means that the Christian democrats are now able to accept a proposal that had been on the table since Sunday. This is important to the nationalists as they had said that Sunday’s proposal was their “final offer”.
The Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (nationalist) has already tweeted that the proposal “has been approved unchanged by all the coalition parties”.