This week it rained ribbons: 114 people from Drenthe were surprised with a royal decoration for their services to society. Employees in Emmen also took to the streets to demonstrate against government plans.
Here you can read an overview of events that made the news in Drenthe.
About two hundred employees of companies on the GETEC site in Emmen took action on Monday against government plans to cut back on social security. The activists, mainly working in the industrial and metal sectors, expressed their concerns about possible interventions in schemes such as the AOW, WW and WIA. They also turned against announced cuts in healthcare.
“Employees need time to find other work after dismissal,” said union director Joosje de Lang of FNV, who organized the meeting. “If unemployment benefits are curtailed, people will find themselves without a decent income more quickly.”
Lisa Otter (26), employee at Teijin Aramid textile lab, emphasizes this. “I myself lost my job last year. And even at my age, it took a lot of time to find something new. Shortening it to one year does not give enough time.”
The honey bee in Drenthe is not doing well. For four winters in a row, around 30 percent of the bee colonies in our province have died, according to research by the Dutch Beekeepers’ Association. That is higher than the national average, where one in five bees does not survive the winter.
Flowers are vital, but they are disappearing more and more often. “There used to be a lot of heathland in Drenthe, but now there is a lot of arable land. There are hardly any flowers to be found there,” says Ton Kolkman of the Zuidlaren Beekeepers’ Association. “Just look for a field full of dandelions, you won’t find them anymore. That has become rare.”
Colleague Arno Scherpenhuizen agrees with these concerns. According to him, there should be more greenery, while pesticides and concrete should make way. “There are plenty of initiatives in Drenthe that involve removing tiles, that’s already a good start,” he says.
Sea trout is also having a hard time in the Netherlands. That is why the Northern Netherlands is joining forces to give the fish species a helping hand. AquaZoo in Leeuwarden has bred many sea trout over the past two years, about five hundred of which were released into the Lieverse Diep on Wednesday.
“It is a bit of an iconic species,” says advisor Marcus de Boer of Sportvisunie. “It is actually very picky in its habitat. If the sea trout does well, many other fish species benefit from it. That’s the great thing.”
Drenthe is known as a province where you can enjoy walking, although there is always room for improvement. That is why the province and Drenthe Recreation Board are jointly allocating 350,000 euros for a new action plan to improve the walking offering and promotion.
“We just want it to be clear to our residents and the people who come here as tourists what you can do in Drenthe,” said deputy Willemien Meeuwissen. “Where can you find the routes? And why is it so much fun to walk them? We also want to organize a major walking event so that we are well on the map.”
On Friday, 114 people from Drenthe received a royal decoration for their services to society. The highest honor went to Jacob de Haan (65), professor of political economy at the University of Groningen. He has been appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, an award for people who have made an exceptional contribution to art or science.
“One of my objections to the ribbon system is that people who really deserve it get a so-called lower ribbon than people like me, who just do their job. I actually think that is wrong,” says De Haan.
Despite the criticism of awarding ribbons, De Haan is proud of his award. “I see it as an appreciation for the work I’ve done all these years, so I’m very happy with it.”
