The Northern Netherlands Provinces: Drenthe, Fryslan and Groningen
Since 1992 the provinces of Groningen, Fryslân and Drenthe have combined their administrative resources in the Northern Netherlands Provinces. In an SNN framework the North pursues joint policies and negotiates with the government on matters which concern the North as a whole. The core task is to strengthen the spatial planning and economic structure of the Northern Netherlands.
The Northern Netherlands Provinces (Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland, abbreviated to SNN) officially came into being on 1st July 1992. The SNN is a joint agreement between the provinces of Drenthe, Groningen and Fryslân. In fact, there was already a great deal of cooperation between these provinces in the past, but it was often on an ad hoc basis and usually related to a specific project. Joining forces in a formal agreement was promoted by developments both at a national level and on a European scale.
The national level related to the discussion about governmental organisation in the Netherlands, and in particular about the position of the provinces lying between the central government and the municipal authorities. At the European level a joint effort was necessary, in order to generate regional programmes and projects and to acquire the necessary financial resources.
The SNN therefore provides a proper framework for acting in the best interest of the three provinces at both a national and a European level.
The partnership is bearing significant fruit. In 1998 an accord was reached between the government and the SNN with financial agreements amounting to two billion euros for the North for the period 2000-2006. This sum forms the basis for co-funding projects, with the balance of the funding coming from the provinces, municipalities, social organisations and the market. The SNN plays a coordinating and stimulating role in the development of these projects, which strengthen the economic structure of the Northern Netherlands. The intention is that the investment made possible by the programme, together with the co-funding, should result in a quality boost of from 7 to 9 million euros in the Northern Netherlands.
In 1993, the central government transferred the implementation of tasks to do with regional and economic development to the SNN. During the period 2000-2006, a large part of the Northern Netherlands has become an Objective 2 area within the framework of the European structural funds. After a period of seven years of cooperation it is clear that the environmental and economic activities are the most effective. In addition, the provinces of Drenthe, Groningen, Fryslân and Overijssel have been working together since 1991 with the German Federal States of Lower Saxony and Bremen within the 'New Hanseatic Interregion'. Since 1996, the three SNN provinces have participated in the greater, regional cooperative pacts of the North Sea Commission and the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR).
Transnational cooperation on a regional scale is an intriguing and long-term process, the more so because both the administrative organisation and the authority of each partners involved tend to differ.
The Northern Netherlands, which comprises the provinces of Fryslân, Groningen and Drenthe, has a population of 1.6 million. In recent years this part of the country has been raising its profile as an area where there are many opportunities for economic growth. Its current share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 8.5% (excluding minerals extraction). There is still space in the north, land is relatively cheap compared with other Dutch regions, and motorists are not subject to road congestion. Together with the favourable economic location with regard to north-eastern Europe and lower house prices, this makes the North Netherlands an attractive place for all sorts of businesses to locate. Towns and cities like Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen and Emmen are easy to travel between. The construction of a high-speed rail link in the near future will make the north even easier to reach from the rest of the country.
Now that the Kompas programme is coming to an end, SNN has drawn up a Strategic Agenda for 2007 and six years thereafter. Building on the existing policy and focusing more than ever on what the Northern Netherlands is best at. You can download an abstracted version of the Strategic Agenda 2007-2013, in English, right here.
The Northern Netherlands is putting its money on promising, innovative sectors such as water technology, energy, agrobusiness and life sciences. LOFAR and Energy Valley are examples of prominent projects.
Over and above the economic advantages, the Northern Netherlands is also a very pleasant place to be. Peace and quiet are hallmarks. In the Northern Netherlands the Northern Netherlands Provinces are striving to achieve concentrated urbanisation in order to preserve the balance between town and country. In this way urban and economic development as well as the conservation of rural areas are both possible.
Strategic Agenda 2007-2013
Now that the Kompas programme is coming to an end, SNN has drawn up a Strategic Agenda for 2007 and six years thereafter. Building on the existing policy and focusing more than ever on what the Northern Netherlands is best at. You can download an abstracted version of the Strategic Agenda 2007-2013, in English, right here.
