Description
The main overall objective of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environmental Management (VROM) is: ‘working for a permanent quality of the living environment’. The VROM is responsible for co-ordinating environmental policy at government level. VROM establishes conditions for the above in agreement with citizens, interest groups and social organisations. It creates regulations and distributes subsidies for improving the country's living environment. VROM is headed by Minister and, apart from Central Departments, has five separate Directorates: Directorate General (DG) for Housing, DG for Environmental Protection, National Spatial Planning Agency, Government Buildings Agency and the Inspectorate.
The Netherlands is a strong advocate of international treaties in areas including climate, environment and spatial planning. Complementary to decisions taken within the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE), the Netherlands believe in the role of demand driven bilateral co-operation and active mutilateral co-operation. Bilateral co-operation in most cases builds upon an agreement (Memorandum of Understanding, Agreement on Co-operation, etc.) between the Ministers of the Environment of the two countries involved. Sometimes at either side other Ministers join in (such as the Ministers for Nature Conservation, for Water Management and/or for Energy).
(See table of Bilateral co-operation on page 28 of “Feasibility Study for The Hague Environmental Law Facility: Volume Two: Annexes” at http://www.envirosecurity.org/helf/)
The most important element of co-operation with the Central- and Eastern European countries for VROM is financial support of projects of the EAP Task Force, Project Preparation Committee, Regional Environmental Centers, NGO’s, and UN-organisations. Projects on EU accession, joint implementations to combat climate change, public participation, compliance and enforcement, environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) enjoy priority. VROM also is active in pre- and post-accession assistance through the programs Matra and PSO. Further ways of exchanging know-how and expertise include visits where participants exchange experience and ideas. Another way is offered by the annual workshop for EU accession countries in The Hague.
New opportunities for co-operation between the Netherlands and other countries, both central and eastern european countries and developing states have been increased by the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol under the UNFCCC through the so-called flexible mechanisms. VROM was one of the first ministries in the EU to adopt a formal strategy for the use of these mechanisms called ERUPT (Joint Implementation) and CERUPT (Clean Development Mechanism).
VROM allocates a budget for financing projects in Eastern European countries in the field of environmental protection. As well, VROM also supports projects related to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank (WB). For this purpose a special Dutch Environmental Technical Co-operation (TC) Fund was established at the EBRD.
Categories
Government