News item | 24-02-2022 | 17:15
Minister De Jonge for Housing and Spatial Planning has presented the draft Royal Decree (RD) with the entry into force date of 1 January 2023 for the Environment Act to the Senate and House of Representatives. The minister, the VNG, the IPO and the Union of Water Boards discussed the importance of a responsible implementation of the law in an administrative meeting today. The date of January 1, 2023 offers all parties involved clarity and, above all, more certainty to be able to properly practice with the new digital system and the new way of working.
Minister De Jonge: ‘We are faced with major spatial challenges. Building new homes, improving energy supplies, managing nature and economic activity. In order to properly organize the scarce space, more control and more cohesion are needed. The Environment and Planning Act offers that possibility. However, it must be introduced carefully to ensure that the provision of services to residents and businesses is not jeopardized and that area development can proceed without hindrance. In practice, therefore, there must be sufficient space and time to practice with the new digital system. By using the date of 1 January 2023, the law can be introduced responsibly and there is clarity for all parties involved.’
The Environment and Planning Act bundles and modernizes the laws, from 26 different laws into 1 law, from 60 General Administrative Orders to 4 and from 75 ministerial regulations to 1 Environmental Regulation. In addition, the law provides a single digital counter that makes it easier to apply for permits and provides faster insight into which regulations apply and when. The act provides preconditions for acting as a single government and offers instruments for (national) direction.
The entry into force of the Environment and Planning Act is an important starting point. From then on, the law will be applied in practice. Even after January 1, 2023, there is still a lot of work to be done and imperfections cannot be ruled out. The new system for environmental law and the Digital System Environment Act (DSO) will continue to be developed and monitored after its entry into force, in order to achieve the objectives of the law and to implement the intended changes.