Entrepreneurial Emmen calls on the government to designate Emmen as a ‘very promising’ area. In the Spatial Planning Memorandum, a national vision for the future for the year 2040, Emmen was given the lowest possible status, even though the region has great ambitions. The more than 300 companies of Ondernemend Emmen state in a statement that an increased status is necessary for both the Northern economy and the future of the Netherlands.
However, the government sees limited economic growth in the Emmen region, whereby strengthening the current industry is sufficient to make the region future-proof. “But if you look at what we at Emmen are doing and what is still to come, the area deserves the status of a promising ‘initiation region’,” says Herman Idema, director of Ondernemend Emmen.
Employers’ organization VNO-NCW MKB Noord endorses the picture painted by Idema. According to Jurgen Elshof, regional manager Drenthe, more Northern regions value themselves more highly than the government does. That is why the employers’ organization will present its own view for the entire Northern Netherlands next week.
Drenthe representative Yvonne Turenhout (PvdA) said last month that she was “very surprised, but also disappointed” about the low status for Emmen, which does not correspond to regional ambitions. “The Lower Saxony Line is a game changer, the new infrastructure will attract people who want to work somewhere.”
The Emmen region is also playing an increasingly important role within the defense agenda. “Many companies that have a relationship with the defense industry produce here. In terms of safety, Emmen is quite important for Europe,” says Idema.
According to the director, the widening of the German E233 road will also ensure that a lot of international traffic will soon pass through Emmen. This allows the local industry to flourish further. “Emmen will soon be located at the hinge point between Groningen and Enschede, and on the route from Rotterdam to Hamburg.”
Because of these strong connections, Emmen is ‘the logistics center of the Netherlands’, according to Idema. “This makes it a logical center for developing a strong national and European economic zone.”
To actually grow into that economic hub, investments are needed in the Emmen region in housing, the economy, the energy sector and the road network. As a ‘very promising’ region, entrepreneurs expect that this money can be raised more easily from the government.
Other parties are also more likely to make investments, so that the Emmen region can become a fertile business climate for new companies. The region can thus relieve the burden on the Randstad and contribute to broader national prosperity.
Idema: “We have the space here, you can live here well and affordably. But then you have to stay in the picture. If you are not included anywhere as an initiating region, then you simply do not participate.”