The File
The Dutch Council of State ruled in May 2019 that the government's nitrogen policy framework, known as PAS, could not legally serve as a basis for granting permits to activities that emit nitrogen. That ruling forced a nationwide reckoning over farm buyouts and emissions limits, and became the central grievance behind the farmer protest movement that followed. Provincial elections held March 15, 2023, became the first major electoral test of that grievance.
The Documented Record
May 29, 2019: The Council of State ruled that the Programma Aanpak Stikstof, the government's nitrogen policy framework, could not be used as a legal basis for granting permits to nitrogen-emitting activities. [DOCUMENTED]
The ruling stated that PAS did not meet the legal conditions required to serve as a consent basis for new permits. [DOCUMENTED]
March 15, 2023: The Netherlands held provincial council elections, the first held since the nitrogen ruling reshaped national farm policy debate. [DOCUMENTED]
March 15, 2023: Official Kiesraad results show BoerBurgerBeweging won the national popular vote, became the largest party in all 12 provinces, and secured the most seats in every provincial council. [DOCUMENTED]
June 1, 2023: The Kiesraad announced the Eerste Kamer election result following the provincial elections; BBB won 16 Senate seats, the largest bloc in the chamber. [DOCUMENTED]
Sources
- PAS mag niet als toestemmingsbasis voor activiteiten worden gebruikt, Raad van State, 2019
- Elections of the Provincial Council, Kiesraad, 2023
- Provincial Council election results, Kiesraad, 2023
- Eerste Kamer election result, Kiesraad, 2023
Connected Files
RVLT-001 documents a comparable European protest movement arising from a different policy grievance.