Delta Commissioner’s Weblog - week 23 2010
Delta Commissioner's Weblog - week 23 2010
Closer to the first Delta Programme
My working week kicked off with a successful visit to Harlingen, where I had a meeting with the Wadden Delta Programme Steering Group. The group is led by Friesian councillor Tineke Schokker. After the summer I will return here for a two-day stay and tour of this lovely area.
I also talked with the Communication Department of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management about cooperation. Henk Brons, Director-General of the State Information Agency, and I discussed the media strategy for after the summer. I received useful and constructive tips. In my view, all the meetings were most valuable.
Furthermore, my staff and I discussed the request of the Ministers of Transport, Public Works and Water Management and Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the Provincial Executive of Zuid Holland, for advice regarding the (delayed) implementation of the Kierbesluit Haringvliet, the decision to leave the Haringvliet sluices partially open (cf. elsewhere on this website).
Last week, several staff members and I made a working visit to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, KNMI. The management, led by Frits Brouwer, informed us about the KNMI’s climate scenarios, developments at the weather and climate institute as well as scientific developments. Agreements were made to cooperate closely with this wonderful knowledge institution – that delivers top quality in its climate studies – on the knowledge agenda of the Delta Programme.
In the past week, important steps were taken towards making the final decisions within the framework of the first Delta Programme. On Tuesday 1 June, we had an exploratory discussion with the Committee on a Sustainable Living Environment, the gateway to the Council of Ministers. Director Bart Parmet of my staff and Director-General of Water Affairs Annemieke Nijhof (V&W) explained the annotated table of contents in an open and cohesive way to the meeting. The comments made will be taken into consideration.
There were compliments for the (writing) process up until now in which everyone put in their best efforts. On Thursday 3 June, the Delta Programme Steering Group met for the first time under my direction. We discussed the 70 percent version of the Delta Programme. The managers of the sub-programmes who were present (councillors, chairmen of water boards and mayors), together with the three Director-Generals, spoke for one and a half hours about the main outline of the first Delta Programme. We made pragmatic agreements about the division of costs across the sub-programmes.
On Friday 4 June, after collaborating in a constructive and concerted manner, we were able to present the 90 percent version for the last harmonisation round. We will be discussing this version with Minister Camiel Eurlings this week. He is becoming more and more of a “Water Minister” given his impressive performance on 1 June, at the completion of the weak link protection elements in the coast at Kijkduin. This bodes well for our first Delta Programme.