Nitrogen, Port of Rotterdam

Janneke van Eekeren, environmental law and property lawyer at Halsten Lawyers:

“For the Port of Rotterdam, on behalf of Hasten, I address the issue of finding the leeway in terms of nitrogen needed to facilitate this development. I assess the legal options from the perspective of environmental law to determine where further industrial development can be made possible. For example: what permits are required, and how can these be obtained despite the nitrogen problem? I do this work together with a team of experts from Port of Rotterdam and its clients. We negotiate with parties such as the Provincial Authority of Zuid-Holland regarding the creation and division of nitrogen rights by means of a nitrogen bank. When a farm is wound up, for example, nitrogen rights are turned in to this bank. It is then up to politicians to determine the percentage of the rights to be assigned to a project to benefit economic growth. This involves many legal difficulties and pitfalls: who is entitled to what? Which interests carry the most weight? I provide support to the Port of Rotterdam. Where necessary, I call in other Halsten colleagues, for a substantive discussion or to draft contracts, for example.

When you consider all the functions of an area – nature, industry, construction, recreation, homes, etc. – these must all be able to coexist. My job is to identify opportunities, together with all the parties involved, and to make these specific. It is a complicated puzzle, with areas of tension between the various stakeholders, and that’s what makes my work so interesting.”