District Court of The Hague orders Dutch State to make significant nitrogen deposition cuts by 2030

The District Court of The Hague recently handed down a landmark judgment (in Dutch) ordering the State of the Netherlands to significantly reduce nitrogen deposition in Natura 2000 sites by 2030 and prioritise the most vulnerable sites. This is the first time that the Dutch State has been ordered to reduce nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands by a specific percentage by a specific year with a view to protecting nature.

The publication that follows starts with a brief background to the judgment and an introduction to the nitrogen problem, followed by the District Court’s principal findings. Next, we present some observations on the judgment and the relationship between the court system and the legislature. We finish with an exploration of the potential implications for the business sector.

If you have any questions about the impact of the recent nitrogen judgment, please contact our litigation specialists Albert Knigge and Nadir Koudsi or our environment and planning specialists Marloes Brans and Ronnie Bloemberg for further information and advice. We are the frontrunner, in the Netherlands and abroad, for climate-related projects and cases. Our multidisciplinary team of thirty attorneys, including specialist partners, are ready to apply their expertise in the area of climate change to various core disciplines, including energy, litigation, competition, investment management, environment and planning law and ESG reporting. Our team’s advice on permitting, supervisory and regulatory aspects and subsidies often provides the key to success for our client’s projects. Whether the matter concerns the implementation of regulations in connection with the European Green Deal, ESG due diligence or advising large enterprises on the possibilities to achieve their Paris climate goals: Houthoff always adopts an integrated approach that comprehensively covers all the relevant factors.