News item | 13-06-2025 | 16:05
State Secretary Van Marum (Recovery Groningen) also offers the definitive agendas for the future of Groningen and Northern Drenthe on behalf of the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and the Minister of Economic Affairs, after being established in the Council of Ministers. With these agendas, rich and region together take important steps to structurally improve broad prosperity in Groningen and Northern Drenthe and to offer the region new future perspective. € 500 million will be available for the social agenda and € 250 million once for the Economic Agenda. After that, from 2026, a generation will be available, ie for 30 years, € 100 million per year free per agenda.
Earlier this year, the draft agendas were presented by the quartermaster Henk Nijboer (Social Agenda) and Jakob Klompien (Economic Agenda) and received positively in Groningen and Northern Drenthe. After that, there was the possibility for residents, members of the Provincial States and municipal councils to provide input on the agendas. Subsequently, the reactions, of both residents and representatives, were processed.
State Secretary for Marum and Minister Van Hijum: “With the Social Agenda we offer Groningen and Northern Drenthe more opportunities for children, less poverty and debts, good health and better quality of life. With 16 concrete measures we invest together in the entire region.”
Measures Social and Economic Agendas
The measures from the social agenda are built on 3 foundations, namely: stimulating a sense of community and pride, more if people need help and tackle fundamental problems structurally. Substantial investments are being made in the quality of life, for example in village houses and other places where people come together. Investments are also made in the development of children by offering extra music or sports lessons in schools. And investments are being made in reading and digital skills, among other things. In addition, people who live in poverty receive help from a buddy and people with debts become financially stronger.
The Economic Agenda must ensure a flourishing, sustainable and future -proof regional economy, in which entrepreneurship and earning capacity are improved, innovation is driven and talent is developed and retained for the region. For this, investments are made in education and labor market, room for companies, digitization and profiling. In addition to these generic investments, the Economic Agenda also invests in 5 specific themes, namely: sustainable energy, health, agriculture, industry and leisure economy.
The implementation of the agendas will be initiated in the coming period. Just like the creation of the agendas, this happens in careful coordination with all parties involved in the region, including residents, organizations, volunteers and experts. Together with the insulation approach, which started step by step on 3 June, the social and economic agendas provide perspective for the residents of Groningen and Northern Drenthe.
Cabinet reaction State of Groningen and Northern Drenthe
Today, State Secretary Van Marum also sends the cabinet response to the State of Groningen and Noord-Drenthe presented earlier this year to the Chamber. Independent researchers report every year about the claims settlement, the reinforcement operation, the sustainability task and the policy for social and economic perspective, 2 years after the conclusions on the parliamentary survey about gas extraction. For example, the generation -long deployment in the region is monitored annually and, where necessary, the policy can be adjusted. This 1st State was mainly about the progress of the damage settlement and the reinforcement task. With the following editions, the effects of the social and economic agendas are also gradually visible, for example how it is with the development of employment, equal opportunities for children and young people and the social liveability for the neighborhoods and villages in the region.
Before the cabinet response has been drawn up, the government has had many conversations with residents, civil society organizations and administrators in the last 2 months.