European Commission commits €33m for EV charging in the Netherlands

The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it will commit €33 million in funding to support the development of electric vehicle infrastructure in the Netherlands.

The funding will go towards the installation and operation of charging stations for electric vehicles, in a bid to improve air quality and promote sustainable transport.

The funding will be allocated as part of the Dutch government's Green Deal scheme, which enables local authorities to support sustainability projects with a combination of state aid, local public funding, and private investment.

The aid will increase the viability of electric vehicles, according to Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s commissioner in charge of competition.

Vestager said: "Electric cars can provide real benefits to society by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, pollution and noise… The Dutch public support scheme approved today will help make electric cars a viable alternative to citizens in the Netherlands by providing the necessary infrastructure, whilst keeping costs under control in line with EU state rules."

Authorities that apply for the funding will be selected via competitive processes, which will be available until 2018, with the Commission reviewing the scheme annually to ensure cost efficiency.

In June, the Hague District Court ordered the Dutch government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by 2020, after losing a landmark legal case.

The case was brought by sustainability organisation the Urgenda Foundation on behalf of 900 citizens claiming that the government has a duty of care to protect the population against the effects of climate change.

The lawsuit is the first case in Europe in which citizens brought action against a state for its potentially harmful inaction.