Residents of North Drenthe have known for a long time: it is a good place to be. This is also evident from the ‘State of Groningen and North Drenthe 2026’, a report commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. This annually examines how the measures in the context of Nij Begun affect the broad prosperity in the region.
The difference between the affected municipalities in Groningen and those in Drenthe – Aa en Hunze, Noordenveld and Tynaarlo – was large and remains large. While the municipalities of North Drenthe measure themselves against the top in the Netherlands when it comes to broad prosperity, the Groningen areas lag far behind.
This was already the case before Nij Begun, the program that focuses on the recovery and future of the ‘earthquake areas’, came into effect. In this second monitor that has been released since then, little change can be seen.
North Drenthe continues to score high on labor participation, disposable income, sense of safety and the quality of the living environment. And trust in national institutions is also very high, especially in Tynaarlo.
Of course, Nij Begun has only been active for a short time, namely since 2023. That is too short a time to bring about serious shifts. The aim is for broad prosperity in the entire earthquake area to creep towards the national average.
That is a major task, because the Groningen part of the area faces many challenges. School dropout rates are higher, the average level of education is lower, and unemployment is higher.
Yet small steps are becoming visible, the report states. It can be read that the percentage of HAVO and VWO students has grown in recent years in both Groningen and North Drenthe. Although the number of people with a job is below the national average, the difference compared to that average has decreased.
The direct reason for setting up the program is of course the earthquakes. There is an interesting difference between Groningen and Drenthe municipalities in the handling of the damage caused by the earthquakes.
Residents of the area can apply for a fixed payment. A striking number of Drenthe people choose this. And even more striking: the applications are granted in more than eighty percent of the cases in Drenthe. That percentage is much higher than in Groningen.
The researchers have no answer to the question of where that difference comes from. It probably has to do with the new scheme, where residents who have already suffered damage can supplement the awarded amount with the fixed compensation up to 10,000 euros.
