SPEECH MINISTER OF HOUSING, PHYSICAL PLANNING AND ENVIRON­MENT

 

 

Hans Alders

 

 

Pieter Verkerk, thank you very much,

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

It was a great pleasure for me to accept the invitation to open your workshop on international enforcement. But due to reasons known to you, a cabinet meeting on environment, I was unable to come, but my director general for the environ­ment, Marius Enthoven, well known to you, was a perfect stand-in.

 

I have already heard about the positive results of the presentations and discussi­ons you have had during the last three days. Enforcement is one of the key fac­tors of the environmental policy in the Netherlands. In starting our enforce­ment policy we have had the opportunity to learn a lot from other countries as the U.S. and especially the E.P.A.

 

Looking at the program for the past three days I am impressed by the importance of the subjects that you were discussing. The significance of this workshop will be broader than the Dutch borders and the results will influence the enforcement policy of the countries participating. I hope you will be able to promote the results of this workshop as broadly as possible.

 

The proceedings that are available for the participants and other people intere­sted in them, should be a very effective means to help instruct other countries and agencies that are interested in enforcement.

 

Finally I wish to put emphasis on the broad and co-operative ties between my Ministry and the United States Environmental Protection Agency: they are very important to us.

 

Thank you very much.