Rli

Work programme 2024–2025

11 march 2024

With the themes in the work programme, the Council aims to make a valuable contribution to the quality of the living environment and infrastructure. Because the challenges in the physical living environment are so closely intertwined, most of the Council’s advisory reports transcend the boundaries of the four ministries in the physical domain.

Themes for advice

The following three advisory processes from the 2023-2024 work programme will continue into 2024:

  • Long-term spatial consequences of climate adaptation
  • Juridification of the social debate on sustainability and the environment
  • Overall well-being in environmental policy practice

The “sustainable construction” advisory process from the 2023–2024 work programme is expected to be launched in early 2024. The Council expects to issue its unsolicited advisory report on “System failures in policy on the living environment” in mid-2024 (it published an exploratory study of this problem in December 2023).

Finally, at the request of the Ministers of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW), and Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), the Council is currently preparing an advisory report on “the national approach to foundation problems”. This report will be delivered by no later than 1 March 2024, as per the request for advice.

The five new advisory reports that the Council will deal with in the 2024–2025 work programme are:

  1. How can we comply with the Montreal Pledge?
  2. Main Energy Structure
  3. Future-proof drinking water supply
  4. Inclusive sustainability
  5. Working for a sustainable living environment through government shareholdings

The Council also plans to organise a conference in mid-2024, on the occasion of the appointment of new Council members. The title of the conference will be:

6. The Netherlands after remodelling, conference

For several of the Council's advisory reports, the question arose of whether the Caribbean Netherlands – the BES islands – should be included in the scope of the report. In each case, the conclusion is that it is not appropriate to include these three municipalities in the regular advisory processes, due to their very specific living environment issues, which differ greatly from those of the European Netherlands. Because the issues addressed in our advisory reports are also relevant (or may be) to the Caribbean Netherlands, the Council will launch a preliminary study in early 2024 on how to include that part of the Kingdom in policy on the living environment.

In addition to the above topics, the Council will in the coming years supplement its regular work with advice based on the interim and final outcomes of evaluation of the Environment and Planning Act. For this purpose, the Council has been temporarily supplemented by two Council members who are also members of the Environment and Planning Act Evaluation Committee. Arrangements will be made with the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations on the programming of these advisory reports and the questions to be addressed.

To see the latest status of the pending advisory reports, go to the "in preparation" webpage (in Dutch). 

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The present work programme outlines the themes for advice for 2024–2025.
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The Council draws up an annual work programme that is adopted by the Ministers of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW), Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK), Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), and the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK).

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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Bridging the Implementation Gap

Rli - february 2024
Subtitel
Tackling Factors Impeding Policy for Physical Living Environment
19 December 2023
Teasertekst
The Netherlands faces major challenges in the physical living environment, such as building large numbers of homes or dealing with the consequences of a changing climate. Some of these challenges have been ongoing for decades, and they are becoming increasingly urgent.
Advies bestand
Advisory Report Bridging the Implementation Gap: Tackling Factors Impeding Policy for the Physical Living Environment2.27 MB
Adviesnummer
2023/07
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Background and request for advice

The Netherlands faces major challenges in the physical living environment, such as building large numbers of homes or dealing with the consequences of a changing climate. Some of these challenges have been ongoing for decades, and they are becoming increasingly urgent, with the term “crisis” being used more and more frequently. Although policy objectives and measures have been defined in numerous areas, they are often not implemented, or not fully or on time. There are all sorts of plans, but nothing much actually comes of them. 

This failure to achieve government goals in so many important policy fields – or to do so fully or on time – calls for further analysis. Why are the matters agreed on as policy not actually being implemented, or only far too late? Why is actual implementation so problematical? If it is clear exactly where the impediments lie, then one can “twist the right control knobs” so as to bring about improvement. In the light of these considerations, we formulated the following questions for this report to answer: 

The main question addressed in this advisory report is “Just what are the impediments to implementing policy for the living environment? How can implementation be improved so as to achieve the goals of policy for the living environment?”

Two construction workers on a construction site

Explanation

For the purpose of this advisory report, we conducted ten case studies on implementation problems within the domain of the physical living environment. On that basis, we identified five impeding factors that complicate and delay implementation of policy, often simultaneously:

  1. Accumulation, and hence complexity, of policy
  2. Hesitancy about taking the necessary steps
  3. Inadequate organisation of implementation
  4. Unequal distribution of costs and benefits
  5. Structural scarcity of human resources (HR)

Our main recommendation focuses on placing policy and implementation on an equal footing. This recommendation forms a kind of overarching umbrella above our other recommendations:

Place policy and implementation on an equal footing

  • We advocate a radical reappraisal of implementation, with policy-makers and implementing parties being placed on an equal footing. 
  • When drawing up policy measures, maximum use should be made of insights derived from actual implementation. 
  • Implementing parties must be able to indicate authoritatively the conditions under which policy is actually capable of implementation.
  • Placing policy and implementation on an equal footing and actually implementing policy plans will contribute to public trust in government.

Our other recommendations for dealing with impediments when tackling challenges in the physical living are:

Give implementing parties a structural role in policy development 

  • Action is needed to involve implementers as an equal party in policy development right from the initiation phase.
  • Central government implementing organisations must be involved, as standard, in consultations between top-level civil servants.
  • The Rli also envisions an important role for the Secretary-General (SG) of each policy department, who should ensure that other parties that contribute to implementation are also involved in policy development at an early stage. 
  • Safeguards are needed to prevent local and regional authorities being assigned implementation objectives without adequate funding, for example. This requires a strong coordinating role on the part of the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (MinBZK) in allocating objectives within local and regional authorities, for example by requiring him or her to co-sign policy plans in order to prevent local and regional authorities being overburdened or under-represented during policy development.
  • Given that many challenges need to be successfully tackled in the various regions of the country, it is important for the Minister to enhance administrative cooperation at regional level. 

Work, organise, and draw up a shared agenda based on the objective concerned

  • Policy accumulation will be less of a problem if the implementing parties have a clear idea of what the shared ambitions and goals actually are. 
  • A clear statement of the objective concerned will assist in organising and prioritising accumulated policies. A shared agenda can then be drawn up on that basis. 
  • The strategies on spatial planning and the environment set out in the new Environment and Planning Act [Omgevingswet] can assist in this. They are by far the best way, after all, to articulate the narrative of the objective, area, or region concerned.

Divide up roles, tasks, and relationships based on the specific objective concerned

  • The underlying problem in many cases of implementation failure is that it is unclear to the policy-makers and implementers which of them should take action when it comes to choices about priorities and the allocation of funds. 
  • It is crucial for there to be clear arrangements regarding these points at the interface between policy and implementation, on an issue-by-issue basis.

Organise cooperation in such a way that implementers feel confident about taking decisions, even in the face of uncertainties

  • It is important to develop a setting in which parties feel confident enough – even when the situation becomes tense – to seek solutions and take difficult decisions.
  • This means that arrangements are needed regarding the culture of cooperation. 
  • Trust and transparency need to be at the heart of cooperation so that dilemmas, doubts, and uncertainties can be raised for discussion unhindered. 

Find ways to determine the costs and benefits of objectives in the living environment more accurately and to distribute them better

  • When working on objectives in the living environment, benefits often “drain away” or revenues end up with parties that do not contribute to a given development. This hampers a proactive approach. 
  • Greater attention needs to be paid to sharing knowledge when applying land policy mechanisms, such as compulsory purchase or the establishment of municipal preferential rights. 
  • More attention also needs to be paid to innovative ways of financing projects in the living environment.

Adopt a smart approach to dealing with the structural scarcity of human resources

  • The scarcity of human resources is structural and unavoidable. 
  • It is therefore necessary to adopt a smart approach to dealing with that scarcity, thus making it possible to both alleviate the scarcity itself and greatly reduce the problems that it causes. 
  • Creating a pool of experts and sharing know-how and specialists (regionally) can provide a solution. 
  • More can also be done to standardise the work involved.

Schedule

The Rli published its advisory report “Bridging the implementation gap: tackling factors impeding policy for the physical living environment” on 19 December 2023. The advisory report was submitted that same day to the Ministers of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Infrastructure and Water Management, Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate, the Minister for Climate and Energy, and the Presidents of the Senate and the House of Representatives. 

More information

For more information about the advisory report or to comment, please contact Bart Swanenvleugel, at bart.swanenvleugel@rli.nl, or on +31 (0)6 52012691.

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Phasing Out the Throw-Away Society

Rli - december 2023
24 November 2023
Teasertekst
The Dutch government must embark on policies aimed at phasing out the throw-away society, which stands in the way of the transition to a sustainable and circular economy. This requires that the government be active, coordinate matters, and set a good example.
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Advisory report Phasing Out the Throw-Away Society4.77 MB
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2023/05
Datum verschijning

Background and request for advice

Globally – thus including in the Netherlands – more and more stuff is being thrown away. This involves mainly cheap, non-sustainable goods produced in low-wage countries, and often discarded after only short-term use. This leads to all kinds of negative effects on the living environment: environmental pollution, CO2 emissions, declining biodiversity, depletion of natural resources, and exploitation of labour.

The advisory report focuses on three commodity flows: clothing, furniture, and consumer electronics. Due to its low price and quality, clothing – especially “fast fashion” – has become a disposable product in the eyes of many consumers. The same is true for home accessories, “fast furniture”, and consumer electronics. Production of these involves all kinds of cost cutting, resulting in products that don’t last very long. Consumers are also enticed – for instance by rock-bottom offers – to purchase throw-away products. All these factors encourage throw-away behaviour.

The main question addressed in this advisory report is “How can the Netherlands, both nationally and in a European context, ensure phasing out of the throw-away society, as part of the transition to the production and use of sustainable consumer goods? What interventions are needed to make this possible?”

Many people in a store on Black Friday

Explanation

There is an increasing focus in Dutch government policy on making the economy more sustainable. There is very little focus, however, on countering the throw-away society, which constitutes a barrier to the necessary transition to a sustainable and circular economy. It is therefore important that policy should also be aimed at phasing it out. You can’t have one without the other. 

The throw-away society is an inherent component of our current economic system. Companies strive to sell as many goods as possible for the lowest possible price, a revenue model that ultimately leads to an economic ‘race to the bottom’. Fast fashion, for example, is extremely focused on low costs and therefore also on low product quality. Much of the cheaply produced clothing soon starts to wear out and is quickly discarded. The same trend is apparent with furniture and electronics. 

We identify four mechanisms that sustain the throw-away trend: 

  • The external costs of products (environmental impact, poor working conditions) are not factored into the price of the product.
  • Producers' selection as regards materials and production methods means that products have an ever-shorter lifespan.
  • Product design takes no account of what happens to the product, and the raw materials used in it, during the disposal phase. 
  • Many people find it difficult to make a responsible choice from the range of products available (including online) due to the lack of clear information about products and because they are exposed to temptation and deception. 

The Rli offers five recommendations for reversing the throw-away trend. Our focus is on policy interventions for the next five years. 

Enforce sustainable production processes, on the way to true product pricing

  • At EU level, advocate ambitious content of the Ecodesign Regulation and the resulting product requirements, as well as the European Transparency (CSDDD and CSRD) Directives.
  • Ensure ambitious content and implementation of the national legislation for International Responsible Business Conduct ('International RBC') (IMVO).

Strive for longer-lasting products by focusing on reuse and repair 

  • Promote a professional repair market by mandating that authorised repairers have access to spare parts from all electronics chains, and abolish the VAT on repairs.
  • Make second-hand shops and second-hand goods more accessible and visible.

Strive for value retention through reuse, high-grade recycling, and improved EPR schemes

  • Strive for improved, larger-scale collection, sorting, and recycling of discarded products, for example by means of an obligatory doorstep return system for large products (washing machines, mattresses) and a deposit scheme for batteries.
  • Ensure greater control of the content and creation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes. Set more stringent requirements for high-grade recycling and ensure that improved product design and reuse become worthwhile.

Assist consumers to make deliberate choices and protect them against manipulation

  • Introduce a lifespan label and a repair label with information on the expected useful life and reparability of products.
  • Combat greenwashing and ban or discourage rock-bottom pricing of products that mostly encourages impulsive purchases.

As government, take the lead, coordinate matters, and set a good example

  • Make clear how consumers can contribute to sustainability themselves, and create the necessary conditions for them to do so.
  • Support the business community in reducing harmful impacts of their products and production chains. Establish sectoral support centres.
  • Ensure more robust cross-ministry coordination and control of policy aimed at phasing out the throw-away society. Free up substantially larger funding and capacity for that purpose.

The above recommendations focus on the next five years. In the medium term, however, more will be needed. The government will need to effectuate fundamental changes in order to bring about the transition to a sustainable economy that operates within the planetary boundaries.

Schedule

On 24 November 2023, Black Friday, the Council published its advisory report Phasing Out the Throw-Away Society, which it had presented to the State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, Vivianne Heijnen, the day before. The report was also presented to the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Micky Adriaansens, and the Presidents of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Photo of State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, Vivianne Heijnen, receiving the advisory report "Phasing Out the Throw-away Society" from Council member and committee chair André van der Zande
State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, Vivianne Heijnen, takes receipt of the advisory report Phasing Out the Throw-Away Society on 23 November 2023. Left to right: State Secretary Heijnen and André van der Zande (Rli Council Member and Chair of the committee) Photo: Fred Ernst

More information

For more information about the advisory report or to comment, please contact the project leader, Bas Waterhout, at bas.waterhout@rli.nl, or on +31 (0)6 21178802.

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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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Working together

Rli - october 2023
Subtitel
Opting for future-proof business parks
31 October 2023
Teasertekst
Business parks offer crucial opportunities to make businesses and society more sustainable. To capitalise on these opportunities, the government needs to set clear goals and support business owners.
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Advisory report Working together: Opting for future-proof business parks11.16 MB
Adviesnummer
2023/04

Background and request for advice
 

Regular business parks play a crucial role in the Dutch economy and society. The 3,400 regular business parks in the Netherlands generate about 30% of GDP and account for 28% of jobs. Overall, they cover 10% of the built-up area of the Netherlands.

Yet they are behind schedule when it comes to sustainability goals. Reducing and greening energy use are lagging behind, as are promoting circularity, climate adaptation, and restoring biodiversity. There are also questions about how efficiently space is used and about maintaining landscape quality.

For a long time, business parks received relatively little attention – unlike industrial clusters (heavy industry), for example. But recently there has been a growing focus on business parks on the part of the Dutch state, provinces, and municipalities. However, that focus is mainly on the landscape effects of large-scale distribution centres – more and more “big boxes” – and the competition for space between business parks and other functions that require space, such as housing. There is no policy aimed at making business parks themselves more sustainable, integrating the various sustainability challenges. This is a missed opportunity, since the unique character of business parks, namely the location of multiple, different types of businesses in close proximity to each other, offers major opportunities to accelerate sustainability improvements for businesses and society.

The main question addressed in this advisory report is “What policies and instruments can be used to accelerate efforts to improve the sustainability of business parks and the businesses located there? And what role should central government, other authorities, market players and society play in this?”

Business park Grote Polder Zoeterwoude

Explanation
 

Like the rest of the Netherlands, businesses need to become more sustainable. Sadly the progress being made in this area is too slow. This is understandable, as many business owners have their hands full running their business. On top of this, business owners are increasingly facing scarcity of raw materials, grid capacity, human resources and space.

Sustainability is part of the solution to many of these problems. The business park is a perfect level of scale to help business owners do this while at the same time accelerating the Netherlands' sustainability efforts. Policies that exploit these opportunities are currently lacking.

Businesses can take some measures independently, such as optimising business processes. But other measures require cooperation. Take sustainable electricity generation. The Dutch electricity grid is overcrowded, making it increasingly difficult for businesses to purchase power and supply sustainably generated power. An energy hub makes businesses less dependent on the grid. Businesses can use the hub to supply self-generated energy to each other and collectively store surpluses. Both the businesses and society profit from the energy hub: businesses by making their operations more sustainable and society by preventing grid congestion and accelerating the energy transition.

Such measures require organised cooperation between businesses. Unfortunately, only 20% of regular business parks have some form of organisation. Business owners face more obstacles, such as the need for substantial investment and in many cases a lack of clarity regarding what the government expects from them now and in the future. Support from the municipality is often limited due to lack of expertise and capacity. In short, the government needs to offer more and better support to business owners.

The Rli makes three recommendations to accelerate efforts to improve the sustainability of business parks.

Formulate a future vision

Outline a future vision of sustainable business parks, linked to measurable interim goals with a clear timeline. Develop a sustainability label for business parks. This will make life easier for business owners by clarifying complex laws and regulations.

Make forming an organisation attractive and ultimately mandatory

Encourage organised cooperation through tax advantages, subsidies for collective sustainability projects and funding for joint hiring of a park manager. Eventually make it a legal requirement for business owners at a business park to join an Owners and Users Association.

Ensure a clear division of roles

Let the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy set the national frameworks on behalf of central government. Give the provinces a central role and let them take regional control. Municipalities, as the competent authority, are the designated first point of contact for business parks. Turn Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) into centres of expertise for improving the sustainability of business parks.

Publication date

The advisory report was presented to the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Micky Adriaansens, on 31 October 2023. The advisory report was also presented to the Minister for Climate and Energy Policy, Rob Jetten, and the Minister for Housing and Spatial Planning, Hugo de Jonge.

Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Micky Adriaansens takes receipt of the advisory report

On October 31 2023, Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Micky Adriaansens took receipt of the advisory report “Working together: Opting for future-proof business parks”. From left to right: Evert Nieuwenhuis (Rli project leader), Minister Micky Adriaansens (EACP), Jan Jaap de Graeff (Rli chair), Erik Verhoef (Rli Council member and committee chair) and Yourai Mol (Rli Council member). Photo: Fred Ernst.

Meeting on Thursday 7 December 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The Rli organised a meeting on its advisory report on the afternoon of Thursday 7 December in The Hague. This meeting was in Dutch.
Further information on the programme and speakers is in Dutch on the Rli-website.

More information

For more information about the advisory report or to give your reaction to it, please contact the project leader Evert Nieuwenhuis at evert.nieuwenhuis@rli.nl, or on +31 (0)6 2192 6501

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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 
 

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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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Good Water, Good Policy

Rli - may 2023
11 May 2023
Teasertekst
The Netherlands is required to meet the WFD standards by 2027. What government policy is needed to achieve the WFD objectives as quickly as possible and then consolidate the objectives achieved?
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Advisory report Good Water, Good Policy481.53 KB
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Rli 2023/02

Background to and focus of the advisory letter

Plentiful supply of good-quality water is vital for health, nature, drinking water production, industry and agriculture. In force since 2000, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires all waters in Europe to meet its standards by 2027. Much has been done since then, but the framework’s objectives are still far from being achieved. Only a small percentage of Dutch waters are considered "good" status. In 2019, for example, 75% of surface waters exceeded standards for one or more pollutants. And in 2020, the biological quality of 90% of surface waters was still not good enough, mainly due to excessive loads of nitrogen and phosphate from fertilisers. Failure to achieve WFD objectives in a timely manner could mean that numerous activities in the Netherlands – both in agriculture and in the rest of the economy – are forced to come to a halt. There is also a risk that if the Netherlands fails to meet the WFD objectives, it could face fines from the European Union.

Against this background, in this advisory letter the Rli focuses on answering the question: what government policy is needed to achieve the WFD objectives as quickly as possible and then consolidate the objectives achieved?

Children playing in and around the water, with newly built houses in the background

Explanatory Note

In this advisory report, the Rli concludes that with the current Dutch policy, the WFD objectives cannot reasonably be met by 2027. Moreover, the implementation of that policy is being hampered by a number of factors, to such an extent that the WFD objectives are unlikely to be achievable beyond 2027 without the policy approach being tightened up. The Rli makes five recommendations that are expected to allow the WFD objectives to still be achieved, albeit later than 2027.

1. Improve the way the WFD follows through into all relevant policy areas and take mandatory measures to this end

The government must ensure that the WFD objectives and associated standards explicitly and bindingly follow through into legislation, regulations and decision-making in all policy areas that contribute to the WFD objectives being met. For example, general rules on fertilisers, plant protection products and the discharge of hazardous substances should be tightened up. The Rli recommends applying the Dutch Water Assessment [in Dutch: watertoets] (a formal advisory instrument to facilitate the integration of spatial planning and water management) more strictly for all spatial plans and decisions that affect or are likely to affect the water system. Spatial plans and decisions must be adapted if the Water Assessment shows that they bring about a detoriation in the current state of the water system. 

2. Make all groundwater and surface water abstractions subject to licensing or notification and reserve sufficient physical space for drinking water production

The Rli recommends making all groundwater and surface water abstractions subject to licensing in areas at risk of water shortage, specifically highlighting the importance of protecting groundwater and surface water intended for drinking water production. This water resource must meet the requirements to be imposed on it in terms of both quantity and quality. It is important to consider how the growing demand for drinking water can be met in future, so that it can be taken into account in spatial planning.

3. Reduce nutrient concentrations in groundwater and surface water by tightening up manure regulations, deploy instruments for the government's intended reduction of livestock numbers and improve purification in sewage treatment plants

The Rli recommends ensuring that manure policy is in line with WFD objectives. To reduce nutrient concentrations in water, the Rli recommends gradually scaling down the number of phosphate and livestock rights being traded, buying up these rights for a reasonable fee and taking them out of circulation. The Rli also recommends requiring water boards that still allow discharges of too many nutrients such as phosphate and nitrate to surface water to add a fourth treatment stage in sewage treatment plants by 2027 at the latest.

4. Ensure that the WFD objectives follow through into legislation on plant protection products, priority substances, emerging substances, drug residues, etc.

The Rli recommends ensuring WFD objectives follow through into plant protection policy and amending laws and regulations governing products in which priority and emerging (only recently found in water) substances are used. The WFD objectives will have to be incorporated into these laws and regulations.

5. Start assessing the effects of all measures immediately

It is important to quickly clarify what the remainder of the WFD challenge consists of. The Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management should therefore arrange for the expected effects of all current and proposed measures to be assessed. Additional measures should be taken where necessary.

Publication date

The advisory report was presented to the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management on 11 May 2023.

On 11 May 2023, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harbers took receipt of the advisory letter “Good Water, Good Policy”. L to R: Karin Sluis (Rli Council member and committee chair), Jan Jaap de Graeff (Rli chair), Mark Harbers and Niels Koeman (Rli Council member). Photo: Fred Ernst

Information or comments

For further information on the advisory report, please contact project leader Nicole van Buren at nicole.van.buren@rli.nl or +31 (0)6-10172005.

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Every region counts!

Rli - march 2023
Subtitel
A new approach to regional disparities
27 March 2023
Teasertekst
There are significant differences between the regions of the Netherlands. Differences in landscape and regional culture, for example, give the Netherlands its character, but many other regional disparities are undesirable and major changes in government policy will be needed to counter them.
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Advisory report Every region counts!8.51 MB
Adviesnummer
2023/01

Background and request for advice

Although the Netherlands is a relatively small country, it has significant regional disparities. There are differences between regions in terms of the landscape and culture, but also when it comes to people’s chances of finding suitable jobs, getting an education in an easily accessible location and growing old in good health. Certain parts of the Netherlands, mostly in ‘peripheral’ regions outside the country’s economic centres, face an accumulation of deficits in several areas. Deficits include the level of average income, the quality of the environment, the availability of public facilities, such as education, healthcare and public transport, and the employment situation. In certain regions there are also few cultural facilities and meeting places available and maintaining active clubs and associations there is no easy task.

This advisory report considers the nature and extent of regional disparities and deficits and aims to contribute to a new approach to tackling regional disparities in wellbeing, thereby strengthening the Netherlands as a whole. Three advisory councils have come together to draw up this report: the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli), the Council of Public Health & Society (RVS) and the Council for Public Administration (ROB). They considered the following question:

What is needed to prevent or reduce undesirable disparities between regions and thereby promote wellbeing in all regions of the Netherlands? And what role should central government and other entities play in this?

Illustration by Jenneke Drupsteen Grafische vormgeving, The Hague, The Netherlands

Explanation

In recent years disparities in wellbeing between the regions of our country have widened and government policies have contributed to this. Outside the Netherlands’ economic centres, more and more facilities are in decline and disappearing, including those related to accessibility, healthcare, education and culture. This is leading to socio-economic deficits and also health inequalities. During our research we also saw and heard, of course, that many people appreciate and cherish life in the regions outside our economic centres for a variety of reasons: the space, the social cohesion, the landscape or the peace and quiet these places offer. Nevertheless, we encountered too many undesirable deficits in terms of wellbeing – undesirable because they undermine the vitality and quality of life of communities in the regions and lead to adverse impacts for the Netherlands as a whole. We noted that national policy currently focuses on economic centres and that the government tends to look at the efficiency of investments and (semi-)public facilities from a ‘macro perspective’, without considering the specific, regional context. Issues that are urgent and of great importance in the regions outside economic centres, such as public transport links and maintaining the level of education and healthcare provision, are of only limited significance when efficiency is considered from a national ‘macro perspective’, as these regions are more sparsely populated and make a smaller contribution to national economic growth.

All in all, national policy does not currently focus on ensuring a basic level of wellbeing throughout the country. The limited attention paid to regions outside economic centres is additionally problematic when you consider that the Netherlands is confronted with a number of major, national social challenges, such as climate adaptation and the necessary energy, agricultural and economic transitions. These can only be addressed successfully if the entire country can contribute to this process and benefit from the outcome. This calls for resilient, vibrant regions and a good relationship between central government and the regions. Moreover, the growth of economically strong regions is reaching the limits of what is possible without affecting quality of life, with a resulting risk of new problems arising in areas including housing, the quality of the environment and health. We therefore believe that a new perspective is needed within national policy: one in which regional opportunities are valued and in which the people who live and work in the regions are taken fully into account.

To counter the undesirable disparities in wellbeing in the Netherlands, the councils are making the following recommendations:

  • Rethink central government’s conventional policy and investment logic by focusing national policy on wellbeing in all regions and allowing budgets to be pooled.
  • Invest in substantial, long-term regional development programmes by encouraging regions to develop opportunity agendas to promote greater wellbeing and by making long-term investment budgets available as central government.
  • Work to develop a strong relationship between regions and central government by aiming to achieve a modern decentralisation policy and ensuring the regions are represented at central government level and central government is represented in the regions.

Publication date and meeting

The advisory report was presented to the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Hanke Bruins Slot, on 27 March 2023. During a public meeting in Veenhuizen, council chairs Jan Jaap de Graeff (Rli), Han Polman (ROB) and Jet Bussemaker (RVS) jointly handed over the report to the minister.

From left to right: council chairs Han Polman (ROB) and Jet Bussemaker (RVS), Minister Hanke Bruins Slot and council chair Jan Jaap de Graeff (Rli). Photo: Karel Hulskers.

More information

For more information about the advisory report or to give your reaction to it, please contact the project leader Bart Swanenvleugel at bart.swanenvleugel@rli.nl, or on +31 (0)6 5201 2691.

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