Broad approval in the House of Representatives for the highly critical final report of the parliamentary inquiry into natural gas production in Groningen. The Assembly ended the debate today with the Investigative Committee led by GroenLinks MP Tom van der Lee.
In this report, the committee concluded, among other things, that the interests of the people of Groningen are systematically disregarded and that making money comes before safety.
In a way, the Assembly is discussing it within itself because the Council of Ministers has not yet made a decision on the report. But when this is the case, lawmakers can hold ministers accountable for past decisions. This will be sometime in May.
Some parties want to hear sharp political judgments from the investigative committee about the various Rutte cabinets and the prime minister himself. SP MP Sandra Beckerman talked about how it felt, as a citizen of Groningen, to want less gas production due to the earthquake. “You were rejected for being selfish. You left your grandmother out asking questions about it. This sense of guilt is a result of these political decisions and requires a harsher assessment.”
not true at all
PvdA deputy Henk Nijboer also called for a tougher decision than that of the investigative committee, which cited serious and flawed shortcomings. Nijboer: “We have been asked and heard over the years that 38 billion cubic meters of gas is needed to supply hospitals and nursing homes. It turned out to be completely wrong.”
But Van der Lee insisted that the report was telling the truth and that the committee carefully formed its final opinion. “If Parliament wants to add something to this, it can do so by discussing it with the Government.”
Parliament calls on the government to react quickly.
Source: NOS

Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.