ARTICLE
16 January 2025

Court Hearing 12 November 2024 At District Court Of The Hague In Greenpeace's Case About Insufficient Dutch Nitrogen-approach

Pd
Prakken d'Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers

Contributor

On January 1st 2014, the law firm Böhler changed its name to Prakken d'Oliveira. The change represents growth that we've experienced and would like to continue. Ties Prakken and Ulli Jessurun d'Oliveira are the memory and the conscience of our firm.

Although it's difficult to pinpoint an exact date, Prakken d'Oliveira has its origins in the late eighties, when part of an Amsterdam legal collective merged with lawyers from various universities, including Ties Prakken (criminal law and human rights) and Ulli Jessurun d'Oliveira (international law and immigration law). Our firm's academic ties have only strengthened since then. Many of the lawyers at Prakken d'Oliveira have their roots in top universities.

Our link with the academic world hasn't led to an overly theoretical approach; on the contrary, it's helped us define the field of law based on real-world experience. Particularly in the area of human rights, we've conducted groundbreaking procedures.

On Tuesday 12 November 2024 the substantive hearing will take place in the case concerning the insufficient nitrogen-approach of the State of the Netherlands.
Netherlands Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration

On Tuesday 12 November 2024 the substantive hearing will take place in the case concerning the insufficient nitrogen-approach of the State of the Netherlands. Plaintiff in these proceedings is the Dutch branch of Greenpeace. She is demanding that the State drastically and quicky reduces nitrogen emissions on our must vulnerable nature in accordance with its obligations under the European Bird- and Habitats Directives. The main focus of the case on the deterioration-ban pursuant to Article 6 § 1 of the Habitats Directive. Leading ecologists have placed the most vulnerable nature on an 'urgency list', divided into a Red- and Orange List of natural habitats and the habitats of species for which the reduction in nitrogen deposition is most urgent/urgent respectively. At the very least, Greenpeace is demanding that the State meets its own statutory nitrogen targets for 2025 and 2030.

Andy Palmen, director of Greenpeace Netherlands: 'We are in the highest phase of alarm for nature in the Netherlands, we are in danger of losing beautiful old oak forests, and vulnerable nature such as marshy peat areas are in danger of being irreparably damaged. Despite the urgency, the cabinet has swept almost all of the previous cabinet's plans off the table and scrapped the money that was reserved to help farmers. In the meantime, the problems in nature and on the farm are stacking up, but the government is standing by and watching. We therefore have no choice but to go to court to save nature."

You can read more about the case in the Greenpeace press release dated 10 November 2024 (available via this link; in Dutch).

Date: Tuesday 12 November 2024

Start: 09:30 (CET)

Court: District Court of The Hague

Address: Prins Clauslaan 60 in The Hague (2595 AJ)

The hearing is open to the public. In addition, the court will also open a live stream (audio: in Dutch) so that interested parties can also follow the hearing digitally. The link to this live stream can be found >> HERE <<

Greenpeace is assisted in this procedure by lawyers Bondine Kloostra and Brechtje Vossenberg of Prakken d'Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers. The District Court of The Hague already declared Greenpeace admissible in this procedure in an interlocutory verdict rendered on 6 March 2024. At the end of last year, the Dutch foundation Stichting Stikstofclaim was admitted to join these proceedings on the side of the State.

See further (in Dutch):

Originally published 10 November 2024.

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