Overview
- Eindhoven and Rotterdam The Hague Airports, a judge ruled Thursday, must obtain new nature permits required for activities that can harm protected areas.
- The court threw out the minister’s bespoke rules and nitrogen caps for both airports, saying she had no legal basis to set them.
- Judges said earlier approvals only carry over for the same project, and airport growth means new environmental assessments are now needed.
- The ministry has eight weeks to decide on enforcement, and any future permits will require fresh studies plus a statement that the nitrogen granted is not needed for nature recovery.
- In a separate case, the court ordered a new enforcement decision for Lelystad Airport within eight weeks, calling the ministry’s stance an unacceptable impasse in a long‑running permit delay.