Five Utrecht municipalities join forces to combat crime with new Bibob Expertise Team
Residents in De Bilt, Baarn, Bunschoten, Eemnes, and Soest will benefit from stricter checks on permits and subsidies, as local governments unite to prevent criminals from exploiting gaps in regulations. The new Bibob Expertise Team aims to stop crime from infiltrating local businesses and public contracts.
| Key Data | Details |
|---|---|
| Municipalities Involved | De Bilt, Baarn, Bunschoten, Eemnes, Soest (BES municipalities) |
| Initiative | Bibob Expertise Team (BET BES) |
| Purpose | Strengthen application of the Bibob Act to prevent crime facilitation |
| Targeted Crimes | Money laundering, fraud, criminal activities |
| Lead Municipality | Soest (Mayor Rob Metz, chair of 'Driehoek BES municipalities') |
| Date of Agreement | March 27, 2026 |
| Policy Alignment | Part of the 2023-2026 integrated security plan for BES municipalities |
Municipalities in the Netherlands are responsible for enforcing the Bibob Act, which allows them to assess the integrity of businesses and individuals before granting permits, subsidies, or contracts. By collaborating, these local governments aim to close loopholes that criminals might exploit to bypass regulations.
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external link to whydonate.comRead the full translated article below
The Netherlands' first Bibob Expertise Team is now a reality
The fight against undermining crime is high on the agenda for the municipalities of De Bilt, Baarn, Bunschoten, Eemnes and Soest (BES municipalities). The Bibob Act is a valuable tool in combating undermining. The mayors of these five municipalities have therefore decided that the application of the Bibob Act must be taken to a new level. This will be achieved with the new Bibob Expertise Team for BES municipalities: BET BES. Knowledge and capacity are brought together in this overarching Bibob Bureau. The five mayors have today signed the underlying Bibob cooperation agreement. With this, the Netherlands' first inter-municipal Bibob Expertise Team has become a reality.
Preventing the government from unknowingly supporting crime
A municipality uses the Bibob Act to check whether a company or individual is reliable before granting them a permit, subsidy or contract. The aim is to prevent the government from unknowingly facilitating crime, such as money laundering, fraud or criminal activities. Experience shows that some applicants keep searching until they find a municipality where the Bibob Act is not or hardly applied. Thanks to the presence of the Bibob Expertise Team, these five municipalities can now effectively deploy their knowledge to combat undermining.
Mayor Rob Metz of the municipality of Soest (chair of the 'Driehoek BES municipalities'): “One of the goals of the 2023-2026 integrated security plan is to align policies between the five BES municipalities. This prevents criminals from 'shopping around' within the BES area for the municipality with the most lenient regulations. The establishment of the Bibob Expertise Team is a good step in the fight against undermining.”