It’s official: consumer fireworks will be banned at the next turn of the year. Sale and parting are prohibited. The cabinet decided this on Friday. 40 million euros is available for the fireworks industry to compensate for the financial damage. Scrapers must pay a fine of 100 euros and receive a note on their criminal record.
“It is a great pity,” said Prime Minister Rutte after the Council of Ministers. “A lot of people just enjoy it. But they now also see that things are better. “The ban is emphatically one-off and is mainly intended to make enforcement easier and not to burden the hospitals even more during the corona pandemic. Traditionally, the New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest times in acute care. Last year, 385 people were treated in an emergency room for fireworks injuries. Another nine hundred people ended up at a GP post.
Last year, 77 million euros worth of consumer fireworks were set off. The cabinet does not reimburse the entire amount to the sector because a large part of the stock can be kept until next year and is therefore not worthless in one fell swoop. The compensation is mainly for the costs of safe storage and transport of unsold fireworks.
The corona crisis has accelerated the fireworks debate. After years of debates about the New Year’s Eve, which is increasingly seen by aid workers as the heaviest night of the year, a large part of the fireworks had already been banned from this New Year’s Eve. Fireworks and loose flares were no longer allowed. Now all ornamental fireworks are also banned. Only the light fireworks that are for sale all year round (such as stars and poppeas) remain freely available.
Minister Grapperhaus of Security and Justice announces that there will be strict enforcement. The firing of one rocket is good for a fine of 100 euros. That means that offenders also get a criminal record. The fines for stores that do sell fireworks will be a lot higher.
Opponents of a ban argue that the police will have a major enforcement problem because many Dutch people will opt for illegal fireworks from Belgium and Germany. Grapperhaus disagrees. In his view, a total ban makes enforcement easier. “Then it is clearer.”
Prime Minister Rutte also thinks the latter: “Now you know, if there is a blast: this is not allowed. Unless it’s a little girl pulling such a string apart. “He added that he counts on the cooperation of the population. “In the Netherlands we have enormous admiration for what police officers and people in health care do. If we really want to do something, we are not going to do away with that mess at New Year’s Eve. “
