House of Representatives wants fireworks ban not all this New Year’s Eve comes into force

The House of Representatives wants the fireworks ban for consumers not all this New Year, but only at the end of the year. A motion from JA21 and De Boer Burger Beweging (BBB) ​​was adopted on Tuesday afternoon. This makes the wish of the proponents to make the prohibition in force this year definitively off the table.

As expected, a chamber majority supported the bill of GroenLinks-PvdA on Tuesday and the Party for the Animals that arranges a prohibition of sales and provision for consumer fireworks. A number of proponents of the ban wanted to be in a hurry, because the police, care providers and also ophthalmologists have been complaining about the unrest during New Year’s Eve. But a chamber majority wants to take the time to arrange the ban properly; The motion of JA21 and BBB received support from the VVD, SP, FVD and PVV.

The fact that the fireworks ban would come became final last week when Coalition Party NSC expressed its support. It became clear at the end of March that the VVD also wants to support a ban after months of internal discussion, mainly because of the violence against police and care providers.

Chamber majority for fireworks ban is round, now that NSC is OM

Amendment

The initiative law for a ban on fireworks for consumers of MPs Jesse Klaver (GroenLinks-PvdA) and Esther Ouwehand (Party for the Animals) did not just have a majority. It came through an amendment from ChristenUnie, CDA and SGP, which stipulates that mayors can give a permit to neighborhood associations for purchasing and lighting fireworks. For coalition parties VVD and NSC, this exception was sufficient to support a ban.

BBB party leader Caroline van der Plas, who is against a ban, called the amendment « sympathetic » in a statement of voting on Tuesday, but thinks the exception is impracticable. State Secretary Chris Jansen (Public Transport and the Environment, PVV) said on Tuesday in the parliamentary debate that this exception will take a year and a half before the prohibition can come into effect. This would, among other things, have to do with the conditions that must be set for neighborhood associations and arranging financial compensation for fireworks traders.

Ophthalmologist De Faber was working for a fireworks ban for twenty years: ‘Postponing another year? Then this will be the worst turn of the year ever ‘