''The Netherlands must solve its nitrogen problem itself, without constantly pointing to Brussels''

Anyone talking about housing construction, agriculture, or nature in this election campaign inevitably ends up talking about nitrogen. For farmers, the nitrogen issue means restrictions; for people looking for housing, building freezes; and for nature organizations, a loss of biodiversity. Yet in the debates, the nitrogen regulations are often discussed as if they were trivial rules imposed by Brussels — even though those rules exist to protect Dutch citizens as well.

As Professor of Preventive Medicine Onno van Schayck of Maastricht University explains, nitrogen particles from traffic and ammonia cause irritated airways and increase the risk of asthma, bronchitis, and cardiovascular diseases.

“Less nitrogen therefore means not only a healthier natural environment and more room for construction projects, but also healthier lungs, lower healthcare costs, and a better quality of life,” says Van Schayck. “That makes it all the more regrettable that nitrogen is so often reduced in election debates to ‘annoying Brussels regulations’ or merely a ‘legal problem.’”

 Read the entire article (in Dutch) on the website of Studio Europa Maastricht.