On Tuesday, April 1, various permanent parliamentary committees discussed ongoing legislative proposals. Below is a selection of these committee meetings. A full overview can be found here.
Budgets 2025
Read the latest status of the 27 budget proposals for 2025 here.
Technical Briefing on the Fertilizer Act
The committee for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) received a technical briefing on April 1 regarding the 2024 Evaluation of the Fertilizer Act. Experts from Wageningen University & Research, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority discussed the effectiveness and impacts of the Fertilizer Act. There is a legal obligation to inform the States General about this every five years.
Hammer Piece
The committee for Home Affairs (BIZA) has decided to register the Estimate Senate 2026 as a hammer piece.
Written Input
Before a legislative proposal is ready for plenary debate, committees consult with ministers and state secretaries, usually by submitting written questions. A selection:
- The Development of Fertilizer Production. Written input will be provided by the factions of GroenLinks-PvdA (Kluit), D66 (Aerdts), SP (Van Aelst), the Christian Union (Holterhues) and the PvdD (Visseren-Hamakers) jointly and by the factions of CDA (Prins) and OPNL (Van der Goot) jointly.
- The relationship between national termination schemes and the Animal Act. Written input will be provided by the PvdD faction (Visseren-Hamakers).
- The study Livestock Farming and Public Health - VGO-III (Future of Livestock Farming and Animal Disease Policy). Written input will be provided by the factions of GroenLinks-PvdA (Kluit), SP (Van Aelst) and the PvdD (Visseren-Hamakers) jointly.
The committees for Kingdom Relations (KOREL) and Home Affairs (BIZA) discussed the Act on Protection Against Discrimination in the BES. Input for the report comes from the members of the VVD (Vogels), D66 (Dittrich), PVV (Van Hattem), JA21 (Van Bijsterveld) and SGP (Schalk) factions.
The committee for Home Affairs (BIZA) discussed the proposal for a Code of Conduct for Unwanted Behavior in the Senate. The committee decided to allow input for the report until May 13, 2025. Members Van der Linden (VVD) and Van Aelst (SP) wish to participate in the preparatory investigation.
About the Committees
Senate committees discuss legislative proposals and meet regularly. Committees assess whether a legislative proposal is ready for plenary debate or if further questions should be posed to the government. Legislative proposals with a blank report are dealt with as a hammer piece. The main decisions of the committees are made public as short notes.
Visitor Information
Committee meetings can be followed live or via livestream. More information about the possibilities can be found via this link: visiting the Senate.