This decision culminates a long campaign led by doctors, emergency services, and other social sectors to end the traditional explosion of fireworks on New Year's Eve, which according to DutchNews, causes hundreds of injuries and millions of euros in damage to private property every year.
The House of Representatives (Parliament) had already approved the measure in April, after the liberal party changed its position and decided to support it. Only far-right parties and the Socialist Party voted against.
Esther Ouwehand, leader of the animal welfare party and one of the project's main advocates, celebrated the Senate vote as "great news for people and animals." According to Ouwehand, her party has been calling for this change for over 20 years.
Until now, 19 Dutch cities had implemented local bans, although they were largely ignored. However, the measure will now be nationwide.
Various polls show majority public support: an Ipsos survey late last year revealed that 57% of the Dutch population would vote in favor of the ban in a referendum. Other studies, such as those by RTL (60%) and EenVandaag (64%), also confirmed this public backing.
AnimaNaturalis Celebrates This Major Step
At AnimaNaturalis, we have been raising awareness for years about the negative impact of pyrotechnics on animals, vulnerable people, and the environment. We launched our campaign for silent fireworks back in 2018, which you can learn about here: For Silent Fireworks.
The Netherlands' decision demonstrates that it is possible to move towards a more compassionate and safer society. Spain should follow the same path and finally ban the sale of firecrackers and fireworks to private individuals.
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