Just before the summer break of parliament, parliamentarians were sent the 'Treaty between the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany concerning the exploitation of cross-border hydrocarbon fields in the North Sea'. The Dutch and German governments agreed this treaty already on 27 August 2025 but it still needs to be ratified by the Dutch and German parliaments. In the meantime it has already taken effect resulting in a permit for Dutch oil- and gas company ONE Dyas to pump gas in sector N05-A, 20 km north of Schiermonnikoog and in the ecologically fragile Borkum Stone Reef. This is the project Scientists for Future already objected to in 2022 with a letter to our government signed by more than 400 scientists in The Netherlands, then covered by the NOS.
ONE Dyas wants to expand gas drilling in this area with the 'Gateway to the Ems' (GEMS) project and submitted a drilling permit request on 2 April 2026 for sector N04.
Scientists for Future have, together with Stichting Doggerland, Advocates for the Future and Fossielvrij written a statement that was sent to all parliamentarians, calling on them to vote against ratification: The treaty undermines national sovereignty as it will make it much easier for permits to be granted and extended and more difficult to revoke permits based only on the economic interests of the treaty partner. It does not take into account ecological damage, the risks of accidents, nor the effects on climate change, while The Netherlands does not have any more carbon budget available for new gas extraction. The gas from the GEMS fields will not reduce LNG production and will not reduce the gas price as the volume of gas is not large enough to influence the international gas price. New gas infrastructure will only prolong our dependence on fossil fuels.
[read the statement here](260617 verklaring over Gas Verdrag Nederland Duitsland.pdf)