Was the province aware in March 2025 that the government already saw the closure of Moerdijk as the best option? How did the government come to this conclusion, and is it consistent with a careful consultation process? These are some questions that the GroenLinks and PvdA factions in the Provincial Council want answers to.
The parties submitted the questions, addressed to the Provincial Executive, in response to Friday’s report from Omroep Brabant. Research by the broadcaster shows that six months before the talks with villagers started, the government already saw the disappearance of the village as the best option.
The municipality of Moerdijk previously announced that it wanted to discuss the news with the government.
Trust in the government
The news ‘raises questions about the care of the process, the provision of information to the Provincial Council and the role of the province of North Brabant’, the parties write. “If this reporting is correct, it could put pressure on residents’ confidence in the government and the legitimacy of the decision-making process.”
One of the questions is about the consultation or, as it is officially called, participation process, in which residents could have their say about the location of the new energy stations for which the village of Moerdijk would have to disappear. Villagers wonder what the point of those conversations was. ‘To what extent does the council consider the course of events compatible with the principles of careful participation and transparent decision-making?’ is the question.
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Did the province know this?
Other questions concern whether the province knew that the government already had such a clear preference in March, and how the government came to this conclusion. The submitters of the questions also want to know exactly how the roles are divided between the municipality, province and central government.
In addition, the parties want a chronological overview of all moments in the process in which the province was involved.
