Together with a large number of regional partners, the Province previously called on the forming parties by letter (refers to another website) (opens external website) to work on an active industrial policy, additionally to provide extra space for attracting and retaining (international) talent, and to strengthen the financial power of our region to accelerate innovation and improve livability. Each of these three Limburg building blocks is addressed in the coalition agreement.
The future governing parties indicate that they want to come to further tailor-made agreements for the sustainability of the industry as part of a national ‘spatial-economic strategy’. Chemelot is explicitly mentioned as a chemical cluster of national importance.
There is also attention for the necessary accelerated construction of energy infrastructure through a ‘crisis law on grid congestion’. For Limburg, the realization of the Delta-Rhine Corridor, the hydrogen infrastructure, and especially timely implementation of the investment plans of the grid operators are crucial. These are part of the plans that Limburg formulated in its ‘Limburg’s bid for a sustainable Chemelot’ (refers to another website) (opens external website).
The new cabinet further announces a strong intention to invest in innovation and R&D; not only with special funds but also by providing sufficient space for international students within Dutch education. This is good news for our tri-national ambitions. The new cabinet continues to fully support the arrival of the Einstein Telescope to the Limburg Euregio and the upgrading of the ET-Pathfinder in Maastricht.
Additionally, financial resources are reserved for the first time for the development of regional campuses. Science, education, business, and government collaborate there on new technologies and applications. Limburg leads with its four Brightlands Campuses in this development.
Moreover, the focus areas of our campuses are at the heart of the sectors where the governing parties see opportunities for the Netherlands. There are also explicit possibilities for defense applications from the campuses, in line with the Limburg Defense Agenda (refers to another website) (opens external website) that our region established last year in cooperation with the ministry.
The new cabinet makes substantial resources available to solve the nitrogen problem and focuses on an area-oriented approach. Priority is given to five areas including De Peel. With the Limburg Nitrogen Offensive (refers to another website) (opens external website), our region shows how an area-oriented approach can bring all involved parties together to tackle this difficult challenge.
We gladly offer the results and lessons learned to provide the new cabinet with extra building blocks. Just as we want to collaborate more intensively with the national government to provide neighborhood-oriented customization (refers to another website) (opens external website) to improve livability and increase the resilience of local communities. Continuation of the National Program for Livability and Safety, the establishment of a national Community Fund, and strengthening the criminal justice chain help with this.
The same cooperation between national and regional levels is requested to actually build sufficient new homes (refers to another website) (opens external website), maintain international rail connections, improve regional public transport, strengthen regional culture and language, and work on Lifelong Learning. The coalition agreement also offers good starting points for this.
A common thread through the coalition agreement is a ‘collaborative cabinet’ that gladly engages in dialogue with provinces, other governments, and social partners about tasks and financing, but certainly also about implementation capacity and new structural good intergovernmental relations. Our own coalition agreement ‘Every Limburger counts! (refers to another website) (opens external website)’ and our propositions (refers to another website) (opens external website) show which ambitions Limburg has in all these areas. We are happy to further shape these together with the cabinet.