On September 25, 2025, Barbera Wolfensberger (Director-General Culture and Media) and Martin Wijnen (Director-General Rijkswaterstaat) signed the renewed cooperation agreement between the Heritage Agency (RCE) and Rijkswaterstaat (RWS).
The cooperation agreement on Cultural Heritage has existed since 1987. Initially, the cooperation only related to archaeology, but since 2019, the cooperation agreement covers cultural heritage in a broader sense.
In addition to archaeological monuments, this includes built and landscaped monuments, urban and village landscapes, and cultural landscapes.
Current and Valuable
The renewed cooperation agreement has been updated on several points. It has been adjusted to the latest laws and regulations, such as the Environmental Act that came into force in 2024. Over the past five years, successful collaboration has taken place on several projects thanks to the agreement, such as at the Afsluitdijk.
During this project, the dike was raised and strengthened. Care had to be taken with the existing monuments, including the bunkers. This process is nearly completed. The same applies to the restoration of the Vlietermonument. For the continuation of the project, which includes increasing the discharge capacity, close cooperation will again take place between RCE and Rijkswaterstaat.
‘Many of the artworks in our management have monumental status,’ explains Martin Wijnen, DG of Rijkswaterstaat. ‘This makes maintenance or renovation particularly challenging in such cases. Therefore, it is very valuable for Rijkswaterstaat to sit down with experts from the Heritage Agency at an early stage of the project for these types of projects. Furthermore, this cooperation agreement will also help us in the coming years to better integrate the care for our monuments into our asset management.’
Intensive Cooperation
Thanks to this cooperation agreement and the registration portal of RCE for Rijkswaterstaat, project teams can immediately be advised about the heritage values in an area at the start of a project. This provides a clear insight into what the project needs to consider, preventing the need for adjustments later on.
Earlier and more targeted preliminary research can be conducted, cultural heritage is better secured, and there is more control over execution. The structural cooperation that has been established in recent years thanks to this agreement is reaffirmed with this signing for the future.
