Latest news | Council for the Environment and Infrastructure

News items

102 news items

Rli publishes advisory report on “Bridging the Implementation Gap: Tackling Factors Impeding Policy for the Physical Living Environment”

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.

Jan Jacob van Dijk appointed new chairman of Council for the Environment and Infrastructure

16 February 2024 - 16 February 2024 – The Council of Ministers approved his appointment at the proposal of the caretaker Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Mark Harbers. Van Dijk succeeds Jan Jaap de Graeff, whose term of office is expiring. The appointment will apply for the Rli's fourth Council term (2024-2028) and will take effect on 1 August 2024.

Rli starts preparing advisory report on a national approach to foundation problems

28 November 2023 - The problem of foundation damage affects large parts of the Netherlands. Exact figures are not yet available, but potentially 500,000 to more than 1 million homes may be affected, in both urban and rural areas. The problem has a major impact on those affected.

Rli releases advisory report Phasing Out the Throw-away Society on Black Friday

24 November 2023 - The Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) calls on the Dutch government to put a stop to the ‘throw-away society’. More and more products end up as waste after only a short time. This is at the expense of working conditions, the climate, and the environment.

Rli starts preparing advisory report ‘Focusing on wellbeing in environmental policy practice’

3 November 2023 - How can central government ensure that its decision-making focuses in a targeted way on maintaining and enhancing wellbeing, with particular consideration for the domain of the living environment?

Rli publishes advisory report ‘Working together: Opting for future-proof business parks’

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.

Rli starts preparing advisory report on juridification in the living environment

14 August 2023 - There are numerous lawsuits these days about the quality of our living environment. There is an increasing impression that environment and planning policy is being “juridified”.

Rli starts preparing advisory report on climate adaptation and spatial planning

15 May 2023 - What spatial planning policies are needed to best prepare the Netherlands for the impacts of climate change, both in the short and longer term?

Rli starts preparing advisory report ‘From throw-away society to sustainable, circular production and consumption’

15 May 2023 - How can the Netherlands, with the help of European regulations, make the transition from throw-away society to a society that produces and uses sustainable, circular consumer goods? What interventions are needed to make this possible? These are the key questions in the advisory report that the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) is preparing.

Rli publishes advisory report "Good Water, Good Policy"

11 May 2023 - In its advisory report "Good Water, Good Policy", presented to Mark Harbers, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management on 11 May 2023, the Rli concludes that current and planned policies to achieve healthy water systems and their implementation are inadequate and do not fully follow through into all policy areas affecting water systems. Additional measures are needed and the effectiveness of all the measures should be assessed to allow timely adjustments to be made if necessary.