The European Commission is threatening to take the Netherlands to court if agreements on compensating for the loss of nature in the Westerschelde estuary are not met, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday.

The paper bases its claims on a letter sent by the EU’s environmental agency on April 8, which ministers have so far refused to publish.
The Netherlands and Belgium agreed in 2008 to flood the Hedwige polder in Zeeland to compensate for the loss of nature following the deepening of the Westerschelde estuary, which allows larger ships into Antwerp port.

Border
The polder straddles the border between the two countries, but the Dutch government faced fierce opposition to the plan from the Zeelanders.
After last year’s election and the formation of a new government, environment minister Henk Bleker said the polder would not be submerged after all, much to Belgium’s fury.
In June, Bleeker announced he had found an alternative and that the Schorer and Welzinge polders to the east of Vlissingen would be flooded instead.
However, the letter emphasises that the ‘essential repair work’ to the estuary ‘cannot be carried out beyond the boundaries of the estuary’, making Bleker’s plan impossible, the Volkskrant points out.
Legal action
The bird protection society Vogelbescherming has already started legal action against Bleker for breaking the Westerschelde agreement. The area is an important breeding spot for birds.
The letter also criticises the new government’s policy towards the natural environment in general, in particular in terms of Natura 2000, an international agreement on protecting valuable countryside.