European Commissioner Frans Timmermans comes to The Hague to talk with BBB leader Caroline van der Plas about Dutch nitrogen policy and European regulations in the field. It was already clear that the two of them were going to talk to each other, but there was a disagreement about who would come to whom.

After the BBB’s big election win this month, Van der Plas has indicated he wants a date with the Timmermans. She wants to know from him what solutions the European Commission has offered the Netherlands to get out of the nitrogen lock.

Timmermans then said that Van der Plaas is “very welcome” in Brussels, where he “explains to her what the European rules are”. But it turns out that the director of the BBB wants to be assigned to The Hague:

Moreover, she was not satisfied with the reaction of the European Commissioner. in the TV show WNL on Sunday “He came up to me a little bit like, ‘Okay, I’m going to tell that stupid curly head how the rules work,'” she said yesterday.

There is now communication about a date between the Timmermans and Van der Plas, which will take place in The Hague. “I got a message from her office this morning that she would like an appointment, but she can’t come to Brussels because of her busy work. Well, we’ll go to The Hague. With pleasure,” Timmermans tells NOS. It is not yet known when the two will meet.

“I think it’s important that we talk to each other,” Timmermans said. “She was saying things about me regularly through the media. But I haven’t been able to talk to her yet.” According to him, there was an opportunity in September last year for deputies to talk to him and his team, but van der Plas then “had no time or interest” in participating.

“Now I’m looking forward to really starting that conversation,” Timmermans says. “I would give her all the information available and I would convince her that we have to let science lead the way. Let the facts speak. Based on that, look at the options for addressing the problems.”