The cabinet today approved the Groningen Act just before the Christmas recess. It states, among other things, that 250 million euros goes to North Drenthe and Groningen every year for social and economic support. There must also be sufficient money for repairing damage and strengthening houses.
The law contains measures that the previous cabinet announced to repay the debt of honor to North Drenthe and Groningen. The package, called ‘Nij Begun’, is the response to the damning report of the parliamentary inquiry committee.
The Groningen Act legally stipulates that 250 million euros per year will go to social and economic projects in the coming decades. There is also money for making houses more sustainable. Furthermore, the law offers options for the Institute for Mining Damage Groningen (IMG) to repair all damage up to 60,000 euros, without looking at the cause.
State Secretary Eddie van Marum (BBB) of Herstel Groningen is pleased that the cabinet has now given the green light. The law will make it more difficult for future cabinets to make cuts in North Drenthe and Groningen, he says: “The budgets are laid down in law, so they are now guaranteed.” The amounts are adjusted annually for inflation.
The law was available for inspection earlier this year. Regional authorities in North Drenthe and Groningen provided the necessary criticism, as did the Groningen Soil Movement. They believe that the agreements should be laid down more firmly in law.
For example, they want the limit of 60,000 euros to be abolished for damage repairs. Victims should also be able to return to the IMG if it turns out that they have new cracks in their home after recovery. Now there is still talk of final discharge: once the damage has been repaired, you cannot report damage again if there has been no more earthquake.
It is not clear whether this has now been amended in the law. A spokesperson for Van Marum says that the text will remain secret as long as the law is before the Council of State. The Ministry of the Interior wants to sit down with those involved in January.
Before the House of Representatives and Senate discuss the law, the Council of State first provides advice. The proposal is expected to go to the House of Representatives this spring. If it agrees, the law will go to the Senate for approval.