Press release

Advisory council calls on Dutch government to pay greater attention to implementation of policy for the living environment

Press release Rli - 23 february 2024

Implementation of policy for the living environment is lagging behind, meaning that urgent problems are not being solved. The Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) therefore calls on the Dutch government to strike a much better balance between policy development and policy implementation in actual practice. The Rli does so in its advisory report on “Bridging the Implementation Gap”, which was published on 19 December.

Place policy and implementation on an equal footing

The world of policy in the seat of governement systematically pays too little attention to the actual implementation of policy in practice. As a result, challenges facing the Netherlands in its physical living environment, such as building large numbers of homes, are being insufficiently implemented. The Rli advocates making far better use of insights derived from actual implementation when drawing up policy measures.

Bridging the Implementation Gap
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Advisory board: Stop the throw-away society

Press release Rli - 24 november 2023

More and more products end up as waste after only a short time. The desire to produce and sell as much as possible – for example clothing, furniture, and electronics – leads to low quality and short product lifespans. This is at the expense of working conditions, the climate, and the environment. If we want to make our economy sustainable, this must be stopped. In its advisory report Phasing Out the Throw-Away Society, the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) calls on the Dutch government to take the necessary action. The report was presented to the State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, Vivianne Heijnen, the day before Black Friday.

The quality and price of products are too low

The production of clothing, furniture, and consumer electronics involves cutting costs to the maximum extent possible, thus also cutting down on quality. The result is products that don’t last very long. The negative effects involved are also not factored into the price. This leads to depletion of scarce raw materials, and to poor working conditions in, for example, the textile industry in Asia and mining in Africa. It also has negative effects on the climate, biodiversity, and the environment. 

Phasing Out the Throw-Away Society
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Government needs to support sustainable business parks

Press release Rli - 31 october 2023

Central government should set goals for the sustainability of business parks. Organised cooperation between businesses is vital in order to achieve these goals together. Central government should encourage such organisation and eventually make it a legal requirement. The formation of an organisation is also in the interest of the businesses themselves. These are the conclusions reached by the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) in its advisory report 'Working together: opting for future-proof business parks', which was received on 31 October 2023 by the outgoing Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Micky Adriaansens.

Sustainability goals for business parks 
 

Working together
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Additional measures needed to ensure good water quality

Press release Rli - 11 may 2023

The quality of groundwater and surface water in the Netherlands is poor. Moreover, national and international regulations are not being followed. For example, the European Water Framework Directive sets standards to be achieved by 2027. But this objective is almost certainly no longer feasible, which is harmful to people and nature. Also, legal proceedings can hamper economic activities in the event of non-compliance with standards. The government must therefore act urgently and take additional measures. This is the recommendation made by the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) in its advisory report "Good Water, Good Policy" presented to Mark Harbers, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management today.

Dutch waters of poor quality

Good Water, Good Policy
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Advice of Rli, RVS and ROB to the Dutch government: A change of approach is needed in the area of regional policy

Press release Rli - 27 march 2023

There are significant regional disparities in wellbeing in the Netherlands and these disparities are widening. Government policy should focus on countering undesirable disparities, as compensating for deficits alone is not enough. Investment in long-term regional development is needed throughout the Netherlands. When making policy choices, the government should place the emphasis not only on economic returns, but also on the impact on society and the environment in all regions of the Netherlands. This is the advice given by the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli), the Council of Public Health & Society (RVS) and the Council for Public Administration (ROB) in the advisory report ‘Every region counts! A new approach to regional disparities’, which was handed over to the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Hanke Bruins Slot, on 27 March 2023

There are significant differences between the regions of the Netherlands, from a cultural perspective and in terms of the environment and landscape. These differences make living in the Netherlands worthwhile, but the increase in undesirable disparities between the Dutch regions is alarming. Regions such as Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, Kop van Noord-Holland, the Veenkoloniën, Twente and Parkstad Limburg have long had to contend with significant deficits, such as lower life expectancy and poorer access to jobs or education.
 

Every region counts!
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The Netherlands needs much more sustainable finance

Press release Rli - 10 february 2023

At present, there is far too little sustainable investment in the Netherlands. The financial sector must move faster to change this situation and the government needs to act to ensure the sector actually does so. This is what the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) argues in its advisory report ‘Finance in transition: towards an active role for the financial sector in a sustainable economy’, which was received on 22 December 2022 by the Dutch Minister of Finance, Sigrid Kaag.

The climate and biodiversity crisis is presenting the Dutch economy with a major challenge in the area of sustainability. New economic activities will have to be developed, while many existing activities need to be phased out or converted. This will require significant investment and will involve risks that financial institutions and regulators must prepare for.

Finance in transition
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Energy transition calls for diligent decision-making on nuclear power stations

Press release Rli - 7 september 2022

Over the coming years, the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) is anticipating a political and public debate on the organisation of our future energy system and the possible role of nuclear energy within it. Decisions in this area will need to be taken diligently and be future-proof to avoid putting the 2050 climate targets at risk. In its advisory report ‘Splitting the atom, splitting opinion?’, which was presented on 7 September 2022 to the Minister for Climate and Energy Policy, Rob Jetten, the Rli identifies the issues that should be addressed in the decision-making process relating to nuclear energy. It also describes the best way to conduct the public debate in this area.

Debate on nuclear energy must focus on five values

The coalition agreement of the fourth Rutte government includes an agreement to support the construction of two new nuclear power stations. Within Dutch society, opinions are very much split on the use of nuclear energy within our future energy system. However, the Rli has also noted that five values are considered important within the context of the debate and the decision-making process. These are energy supply certainty, affordability, safety and security, sustainability and justice.

Splitting the atom, splitting opinion?
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Solving the housing crisis requires more action from housing associations and municipalities

Press release Rli - 18 august 2022

Social housing stock needs to expand considerably in the next few years. That’s why central government needs to considerably step up efforts to maximise the performance of housing associations and municipalities. In its advisory report ‘Providing shelter: maximising the performance of housing associations’, presented today to Minister for Housing Hugo de Jonge, the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) makes a number of recommendations including legislating on the number of social housing units to be built and requiring municipalities to provide sufficient space to build them. The Rli also believes that central government should focus much more than in recent years on ensuring that the performance agreed with the housing associations is delivered. Moreover, the minister must intervene if insufficient social housing is being built.

More housing association homes and their compulsory inclusion in environmental plans

The Constitution imposes a duty of care on the government to provide ‘adequate housing’. The Rli has concluded that the government is failing in this duty of care and that housing associations are needed in order to meet this obligation. Housing associations currently rent over 2.3 million affordable rental homes, generally of reasonable quality.

Providing shelter
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Nature everywhere and for everyone

Press release Rli - 23 march 2022

23 March 2022 – Nature is declining at an alarming rate in the Netherlands. According to the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli), the biodiversity crisis is as serious as the climate crisis. Robust nature is crucial for the quality of life in the Netherlands. People depend on nature for their health, for clean drinking water, for healthy food and for clean air. In its advisory report Nature-Inclusive Netherlands, presented today to the Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Policy, the Rli calls on the Dutch Government to reverse the decline of nature and to ensure its recovery. Such efforts will only succeed, however, if the authorities commit to nature everywhere and for everyone.

Ensure that the quality of nature is adequate everywhere

The government’s current nature policy is ineffective in part because it confines itself mainly to protected nature areas. Protecting these areas will not reverse biodiversity loss, however. The authorities must also do their best to restore nature and biodiversity outside them. More green spaces are needed in and around towns and cities, green spaces that everyone can easily walk or cycle to. Nature must also be restored in rural areas, where it has suffered serious deterioration in recent decades.

Nature-Inclusive Netherlands
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Give sustainable farmers prospects for the future

Press release Rli - 2 december 2021

Farmers should have prospects for the future within the boundaries of sustainability. To operate their businesses, farmers must have at least the following: clarity about the criteria that their farm must meet, the freedom to determine how they will meet those criteria, and a well-managed system of monitoring and enforcement. Meeting these three conditions will require new government policy. This is the conclusion reached by the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) in its advisory report Farmers with a future, presented today to the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.

The agriculture sector is facing major sustainability challenges. Meeting those challenges requires far-reaching measures that will seriously impact farmers’ business operations and trigger unrest among them. Since the start of the nitrogen crisis in particular, much of the focus has been on farmers who give up their businesses, voluntarily or otherwise. The Council, however, considers that policymakers should pay more attention to the farmers who will keep going.

Farmers with a future
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