The Provincial Executive has adopted the Nitrogen Plan 2025. This plan contains clear frameworks for nature restoration and nitrogen reduction, aiming to work together with entrepreneurs, farmers, nature organizations, municipalities, and other stakeholders on feasible solutions in the area. The plan is explicitly not an endpoint but the starting point for further practical elaboration.
‘Voluntariness is paramount’
In the Zeeland approach, voluntariness remains the starting point, emphasized Deputy Wilfried Nielen. “Work is being done on area-specific measures, where support and customization are central. Together with the people in the area, we will take the steps. This plan provides direction, not a blueprint. Farmers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders know best what works. We have that trust, and that is how we have always done it in Zeeland.” According to Nielen, the plan also shows something else. “Zeeland takes responsibility. We look carefully at what is legally sustainable and ecologically substantiated. In short: we are getting to work. Yes, it is exciting, but we do it together and show that Zeeland contributes to a declining nitrogen trend.
Frameworks providing direction
The plan focuses on the areas where nitrogen pressure is highest: the Manteling of Walcheren and the Kop van Schouwen. By combining source measures, sector-specific agreements, and nature restoration, space is created for permits that are legally sustainable. The following principles form the core of the approach:
- Implementation takes place together with the people in the area and involved parties.
- The focus is on the areas around the two Natura 2000 sites;
- All sectors contribute, from agriculture to mobility . This means some measures will also have effects throughout Zeeland;
- The measures, including a strong focus on innovations, must lead to a demonstrable reduction in nitrogen deposition;
- There will be room for permit issuance if the reduction is secured;
- Monitoring and adjustment are fixed parts of the approach.
Financing
Structural financing is needed for implementation. The Province of Zeeland has reserved €20 million to start the first phase but expects additional funds from the national government. Zeeland continues to advocate for national support, especially regarding shipping and foreign nitrogen emissions and their deposition within our provincial borders.
The direction given in the plan will be further elaborated in the areas themselves in the coming period. This happens through the Zeeland Area Approach. Together with municipalities, land managers, entrepreneurs, and social parties, it is examined which measures fit the area, the stakeholders, and the goals to be achieved in the short and long term.
More information
The full plan can be found at: www.zeeland.nl/stikstof
