The Dutch House of Representatives has adopted a motion asking the government to examine how greenhouse horticulture can remain outside ETS2, the European carbon-emissions trading system. The vote on 29 September establishes a parliamentary request, rather than an enacted exemption.
The official record for motion 36947-43 shows adoption with 92 votes in favour. André Flach and Pieter Grinwis submitted the amended motion.
Government asked to work on a practicable route
The motion asks the government to work with the greenhouse sector, energy suppliers and the Dutch Emissions Authority on how exclusion could be implemented.
Its reasoning cites a disproportionate accumulation of environmental levies and argues that excluding the sector is administratively more difficult, but possible. These are the motion’s arguments, not a completed assessment of a workable mechanism.
The sector wants an alternative carbon-pricing route
In its 1 October response, Glastuinbouw Nederland welcomed the result. Chair Adri Bom-Lemstra said the association wanted to develop the alternative route promptly with the parties to the greenhouse energy-transition covenant.
The association linked the dispute to the combined effect of carbon pricing and other energy measures on greenhouse economics. Its response describes the vote as a policy opening, while the underlying question remains how the government would translate the request into rules and administration.
For operators evaluating energy investments, the distinction is material: a parliamentary request signals political pressure, but does not settle future carbon-cost exposure. The sources reviewed do not establish that the requested exclusion has been implemented.
Implementation remains the next signal
The government response, the proposed mechanism and its treatment of greenhouse energy supply are the next developments to watch. Whether a legally and operationally workable exemption will follow remains unresolved.
Key takeaways
- Parliament adopted a request to examine keeping greenhouse horticulture outside ETS2.
- The motion calls for joint work with the sector, energy suppliers and the emissions authority.
- An exemption is not yet established by this vote.
Archive photograph: Jeroen van der Meyde/Tweede Kamer, 19 August 2021, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Resized for display; not a photograph of the September 2026 vote.
