Background information

The Energy Transition Covenant Greenhouse Horticulture 2022-2030 is an elaboration of the greenhouse horticulture paragraph C4.6 of the Climate Agreement of 28 June 2019, the Coalition Agreement 2022 and current national, and European climate policies. The greenhouse horticulture energy transition covenant 2022-2030 includes the ambition to achieve a climate-neutral and economically profitable greenhouse horticulture sector by 2040. The covenant was signed by the government and branche organisations Glasshouse Horticulture Netherlands and Greenports Netherlands.

Content of measure

Following the agreements in the covenant, last year the greenhouse horticulture residual emission target was set at at 4.3 Mton CO2 equivalents in 2030. This target is 1 Mton sharper than the target as included in the Rutte IV coalition agreement. In combination with the other measures in the cohesive package, this target is secured by pricing via the CO2 tax on greenhouse horticulture as included in the Wet fiscale klimaatmaatregelen glastuinbouw (Act on fiscal climate measures for greenhouse horticulture).

The government has made funds available from the Climate Fund to stimulate the energy transition of greenhouse horticulture in order to meet the residual emission target in 2030. First, €300 million has been made available for a new subsidy scheme for heat infrastructure up to and including 2030. The development of the Greenhouse Horticulture Heat Infrastructure Subsidy (SWiG) has now been completed. This scheme was published in the Government Gazette at the end of 2023 and will be open for the first time from 1 February to 30 August 2024. For now, it is with an amount of €12.5 million.

Secondly, €200 million has been made available until 2030 for the Energy Efficiency Glasshouse Horticulture (EC) subsidy scheme, which promotes energy saving in glasshouse horticulture. The subsidy will take into account the energy-saving obligation that has been in force for greenhouse horticulture since last year. The starting point is that no subsidy will be provided for techniques that companies are obliged to adopt.

Use of measure

This is covered under both schemes

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Sector specific set of companies	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Employers' organisations	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Not applicable	Direct consultation outside a formal body

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Only employers' organisations
• Main level of involvement: Sectoral or branch level

Involvement

This is a covenant between the employers' organisations and the government, so the social partners from the employers' side were directly involved. The trade unions were not.

Views and reactions

Supportive, as they are a signatory of the covenant.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 06 December 2022: Convenant Energietransitie Glastuinbouw 2022-2030 (www.rijksoverheid.nl)