Minister Karremans pushes new Schiphol noise rules amid legal doubts

Vincent Karremans, the Netherlands' minister of Infrastructure, introduced a revised airport traffic decree intended to give residents around Schiphol clearer legal recourse against aircraft noise, citing a prior court mandate. While the cabinet claims the measure restores "equal protection" for those suffering, the Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment and the aviation inspectorate warn that the new thresholds are vague and difficult to enforce.

Critics note that earlier judicial decisions condemned the state's handling of noise as unlawful and ordered concrete safeguards within a year. The decree also adjusts noise limit values, but internal documents reveal they have been set so high that breaches are unlikely. Moreover, the European Convention on Human Rights requires individualized protection, a standard the minister's approach may not meet. The proposal therefore faces scrutiny over whether it can withstand future legal challenges.