The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) focuses its supervision and enforcement on the greatest risks to people and the environment. “In the coming years, the environment will receive more attention: the effects of harmful substances such as PFAS and greenhouse gases are often invisible to the naked eye, but their impact is significant on our health and living environment,” says Inspector-General Mattheus Wassenaar about the multi-year strategy from 2026 to 2029.
In the multi-year strategy, the ILT shows the agenda for the next 4 years. Inspector-General Mattheus Wassenaar presents the Multi-Year Strategy to the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Robert Tieman.
The ILT works daily for safety, trust, and sustainability in transport, infrastructure, environment, and housing. This is done through permits, supervision, and enforcement. Think of safe transport of hazardous substances, less noise pollution from aviation, and sufficient affordable social rental housing. We identify environmental risks, such as risks from steel slags. And if necessary, we proceed to investigation in case of suspected criminal offenses.
Responsibility of Companies
Companies themselves are responsible for complying with the rules. Mattheus Wassenaar, Inspector-General at the ILT: “We expect companies to take their social responsibility seriously and actively fulfill their duty of care. We increasingly look at how companies demonstrate ownership and deal with social risks. If companies fail in their responsibility or break the law, we take action.”
More Focus on the Environment
The ILT works on a variety of topics. We focus on the greatest risks to people and the environment, where our actions really make a difference. We weigh social risks, legal obligations, and political and social wishes. In the next 4 years, the ILT will focus more on the environment and less on transport. We see that pressure on the environment is increasing due to complex and large-scale risks, while the transport domain generally has better and more professional safety risk management.
Environmental damage costs society a lot of money. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency calculated that emissions of environmental pollutants cause €46 billion in damage annually to human health and nature. That is one and a half times as much as in 2018.
Less Budget
The ILT has less budget due to several efficiency measures for the period 2025-2029. Necessary investments are also needed for ICT. “Our supervision will therefore not be equally intensive everywhere. We explicitly tell politicians now: if funding for a task disappears, we can no longer perform that task. We cannot take on new tasks without funding,” says Wassenaar. New tasks are expected for the ILT in the fields of circular economy, resilience, and aviation.
