VNG: decide in April on the implementation date of the Environmental Act
Source: Domestic administrationnl | Martin Hendriksma | FHI Building Automation
The Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) only wants to introduce the Environmental Act with a working digital system. The decision must be made in April whether the planned date of January 1, 2022 is feasible.
Unrecognizable
The VNG writes this following the investigation by the Domestic Administration and the Aldermen's Association about the implementation date of the Environmental Act. Half of the aldermen argued for further postponement. A signal that the VNG says it does not recognize, 'certainly not at official level. We do recognize the concerns that municipalities express regarding DSO and finances.'
No plan B
"The DSO will only work as a system if municipalities are connected to national facilities and there is successful cooperation with the local software," the VNG writes. 'We see this happening in many places in the country in the permit chain. The plank chain still causes some problems and we see them too.' Corona also makes connecting and practicing difficult. The VNG is not looking for a plan B. 'We don't want to exchange the DSO for something else. If there are parts where this is not the case in time, emergency facilities must be ready. We then think of 'temporary, flexible' solutions.'
Conversation
Regarding another bottleneck identified by the aldermen, namely finances, the VNG indicates that it will soon enter into discussions with municipalities 'on the basis of the integrated financial picture in which the expected structural costs and benefits of the Environmental Act are identified'. The new Environmental Act entails high costs. The transition to this law alone will cost municipalities, provinces, water boards and the government 1.3 to 1.9 billion euros. Municipalities account for the largest share (1.1 to 1.7 billion euros) of the total transition costs.
The transition costs for the Digital System Environment Act (DSO), the information architecture, amount to 28 percent of this. This includes costs for connecting to the DSO and adjustments to organizations' IT systems. Organizations often spend a year to several years preparing the IT landscape for working under the Environmental Act. This depends on the size and complexity of the organization.
These estimates come from a study that KPMG conducted into the transition costs. The period 2016-2029 was taken into account. The client is the Inter-Administrative Working Group on Financial Research on the Environment Act, which includes representatives from the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), the municipalities, provinces and water boards.
Mega operation
The association of rural municipalities P10 recognizes in the results of the research the 'mega operation' that is the introduction of the Environmental Act in addition to all current projects, says chairman Ellen van Selm. Councilors from smaller municipalities in particular argue in favor of a postponement in the study. Van Selm sees the DSO and finances as potential bottlenecks, but has no indication that things are going wrong at P10 municipalities.
Concept
"We understand the municipalities, for which the introduction of the Environmental Act is a major challenge," Minister Ollongren (Home Affairs) said in response to the study. 'We support these municipalities by looking together for solutions to the problems they encounter. It is also good to realize that delaying the introduction mainly entails more costs.' Since yesterday, the minister has one less thing to worry about: the House of Representatives decided not to declare the Environmental Act controversial.
The introduction of this law is scheduled for January 1, 2022. Postponing its entry into force by one year will entail additional costs. For example, double costs are incurred for software licenses. The aim of the Environmental Act and the associated DSO is to bundle legislation surrounding space, housing, infrastructure, environment, nature and water within one system.
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