Groningen residents Face Unequal Compensation for Earthquake Damage
Groningen, Netherlands – Victims of earthquakes in Groningen will continue to receive varying levels of compensation for “lost living enjoyment,” as the government has declined to intervene in discrepancies between settlements reached through the IMG (Instituut Mijnbouwschade Groningen) and private agreements like that of DeHaan. Despite concerns raised by Members of Parliament, state Secretary Van Marum of Herstel groningen has stated he will not request the IMG to revise its compensation scheme.
The IMG currently offers a maximum of €5,000 per person for immaterial damage within a household. However, households with multiple instances of physical damage settled through DeHaan can receive significantly higher payouts, possibly exceeding €45,000 as in the case of Loppersum resident Anita stuts, who participated in a mass claim. The IMG scheme would have capped her compensation at €30,000.
While the IMG will introduce a compensation for ‘lost living enjoyment’ in 2027, officials believe this will only slightly reduce the existing differences.
MPs Bushoff and Beckerman pressed Van Marum on the issue, questioning whether he would ask the IMG to broaden its scope. Van Marum responded in writing, stating, “I am not going to ask the IMG to revise the arrangement.” He defended the IMG scheme as a means to quickly assist a large number of Groningen residents and characterized the DeHaan-NAM settlement as a “private” matter.
van Marum maintains that the differences between the two schemes will remain “limited” for the majority of those affected by the ongoing earthquake crisis in the region.
