Netherlands approves ban on firecrackers and fireworks

Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Serikzhan Kovlanbaev

This New Year’s celebration will be the last time Dutch citizens are allowed to set off firecrackers. The country’s parliament has approved a complete ban on the use of pyrotechnics by private individuals. Starting next year, only professional fireworks show organizers will be permitted to use them, Bild reported.

Because of the upcoming ban, this New Year’s Eve is expected to be one of the loudest and most colorful in recent years, as fireworks sales have surged ahead of the restriction. Sales this year are expected to be about 20% higher than last year.

Police and emergency services are already preparing for potential consequences, warning that this New Year’s Eve could be particularly challenging. This comes although by mid-December, authorities had seized more than 65 tons of illegal pyrotechnics, including powerful firecrackers.

According to officials, dozens of people were injured in explosions between November and December, with 10 teenagers requiring finger or hand amputations. The previous year saw four such cases. A survey by the I&O Research Institute found that 62% of Dutch people support the ban. Doctors, police, municipalities, and animal welfare and environmental groups have been calling for it for years.

In Kazakhstan, there is no complete ban on firecrackers and fireworks, but efforts are being made to regulate their use. Powerful pyrotechnics are officially permitted only for licensed organizations, and setting off fireworks in unauthorized locations or in violation of safety regulations is punishable by law.

However, during the New Year season, hundreds of stalls appear in busy areas selling mostly low-quality, unlicensed firecrackers from China. As a result, calls to ban firecrackers and fireworks entirely are becoming more frequent, as they pose risks to people, frighten animals and harm the environment.