New cooperation agreement signed between the government and the National Environmental Database Foundation
On January 30, Chris Kuijpers, director-general of Housing and Construction, and Jan-Willem Groot, managing director of the National Environmental Database Foundation (NMD), signed the new cooperation agreement between the government and the foundation.
We took this opportunity to ask Jan-Willem Groot a few questions.
1. What was the reason for renewing the cooperation agreement between the government and the National Environmental Database Foundation?
In order to realize the government's policy goals in the field of circular economy and climate in the future, a structural and better-fitting cooperation and financing structure with the NMD Foundation is needed. To this end, the division of roles between the parties involved has been clarified and the governance of the NMD Foundation has been adjusted.
2. What are the most important changes in the cooperation agreement?
What is new is that we have agreed to a multi-year partnership. This offers continuity and security to the NMD Foundation. The transition to the new financing structure, governance and partnership agreements has no substantive consequences and is policy neutral. The adjustment of the financing structure and partnership with the NMD Foundation is primarily a financial and legal process.
Under the Public Procurement Act, the government's control over the funds it has made available is now better secured, as is the supervision of their expenditure.
As the contracting authority, the government retains influence over strategic and important decisions made by the NMD Foundation.
3. How does this agreement contribute to the broader sustainability objectives of the Netherlands, such as the circular economy in 2050?
The policy and political importance of the Determination Method and the database has increased sharply in recent years, partly due to European developments such as the CPR (Construction Products Regulation), EPBD IV (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive IV) and Whole Life Carbon.
The Determination Method is in line with these developments and the importance of the database is growing. Thanks to the greater availability of environmental data, parties in the construction and infrastructure sectors can build more sustainably, which contributes to an improved environmental performance.
This agreement provides for a structural form of financing and guarantees the continuity of the collaboration. This lays an important foundation for achieving the broader sustainability objectives of the Netherlands.
