During the New Year’s holiday, 1,200 people were injured and two people died in the Netherlands. The police also report firework attacks on a scale never seen before. Now a decision has been made to ban fireworks.

A ban on most types of consumer fireworks is expected to come into effect before the end of 2026. This decision would make the Netherlands the second European nation after Ireland with such a ban.

According to Ines Kostić, Member of Parliament for the Party for the Animals, who began pushing for a ban 15 years ago, the campaign has gained increased support as people have become more aware of the victims and the burden placed on emergency services.

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“I used to set off fireworks myself. We all grew up with it; it was completely normalized. But I realized how great the social harm caused is,” she says.

The fire department received 4,286 reports of fire incidents during the most recent New Year’s Eve celebrations, a slight increase compared to the previous year, and a 19th-century church burned down during an evening marked by what police describe as unprecedented violence.

Firefighters Attacked

Jolanda Trijselaar, chair of the Dutch fire brigade, says that firefighters were attacked with fireworks and even needed support from riot police.

“This must end. Our staff are there to help, not to become targets of violence.”

In neighboring Germany, calls to ban private sales have received support from doctors, environmental organizations, and police unions, while some environmental groups are going further and demanding a ban even on licensed firework displays.

Currently, there are no plans for an EU-wide ban, but last year the European Commission identified safety and environmental “shortcomings” in its pyrotechnics directive and highlighted the widespread access to dangerous fireworks as well as circumvention of regulations through mail-order sales.

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