{"id":150717,"date":"2023-02-17T14:11:34","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T13:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=150717"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:39","slug":"student-wins-energy-allowance-case-in-amsterdam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/02\/17\/student-wins-energy-allowance-case-in-amsterdam\/","title":{"rendered":"Student wins energy allowance case in Amsterdam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once again, a student has won a court case against his municipality regarding the energy allowance. This time the defeated party is Amsterdam. In the view of the Court, the municipality cannot simply exclude students.<\/p>\n

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Because of the high energy prices the government wants to give financial assistance to low-income families. The energy allowance was created for that purpose. But in the government\u2019s opinion, it was not necessary for students to be eligible for it.<\/p>\n

Last summer, a student in Nijmegen won a court case against his municipality and was able to get the energy allowance. Now the same has happened<\/a> in Amsterdam. The municipality has to take a new decision about the application by 24-year-old student Melle van der Geest<\/a> within six weeks.<\/p>\n

Principle of equality<\/h2>

The allowance in Amsterdam is<\/a> 1,000 or 1,800 euros (depending on the recipient\u2019s assets). Amsterdam has followed the national guidelines given to the municipalities by the ministry. But the Court rules that making an exception of students is contrary to the principle of equality.<\/p>\n

The situation of students is indeed different from that of other low-income groups, the Court acknowledges; other low-income groups sometimes find themselves in a hopeless situation. But the allowance is for everyone that earns no more than 120 percent of the minimum wage, not just for people in a hopeless situation. So that is not a relevant criterion, in the Court\u2019s opinion.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo decide whether a comparable situation exists, the actual situation has to be assessed\u201d, according to the judgment, \u201cin other words the housing situation, the amount of the income and whether the person concerned is paying energy costs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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