National Environment And Planning Strategy: Governance And Steering Advice.pdf

The Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Raad voor de leefomgeving en infrastructuur) provides advice to Minister Ollongren regarding the development of the Netherlands' first National Environment and Planning Strategy (NOVI). The strategy is crucial for guiding the country through significant transitions: climate change adaptation, energy transition, food transition, mobility shift, and circular economy.

Key Points:

1. Vision and Implementation: The NOVI should offer a robust, integrative vision for 2050, guiding stakeholders in future-proof investments. It must also outline how to execute this vision through partnership.

2. Governance and Stakeholder Engagement: Effective cooperation between various tiers of government and stakeholders is essential. Financial and legal instruments will support this. The strategy requires a shift in interdepartmental collaboration culture.

3. Regional Focus: Spatial integration challenges should be addressed at the regional level, requiring renewed national government investments in regional presence. Designating 'spatial perspective areas' is not favored; instead, national government involvement should be consistent across all regions.

4. Government Task: The NOVI, as the first policy document under the new Environment and Planning Act (effective 2021), must provide a comprehensive, coherent view of national environmental challenges. It needs to address urgent policy issues with a unified vision, ensuring sufficient cross-government and subnational authority backing.