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Budget Day 2024

The following texts are taken from the Coalition Program of Cabinet Schoof. These plans were presented during Budget Day 2024 on the third Tuesday of September.

What is the overarching social problem?

We are proud of the accessibility of the Netherlands.
Good accessibility to facilities such as work, healthcare, education, the supermarket, family and friends is necessary to be able to participate in society.
The Netherlands has one of the best infrastructure networks in the world.
We have an extensive road network of good quality, a finely-meshed public transport network, a safe and efficient waterway network and, thanks to our ports and airports, a unique connection to the world for people and goods.
At its core, it is about enabling everyone – in their own way – to reach their destination safely, affordably and within acceptable time and effort and with respect for the living environment.
Especially for a trading country like the Netherlands, the importance of good and safe circulation on the road, rail and waterways is enormous.

This is important for the business climate and earning capacity of the Netherlands.
In particular, this applies to the connections to and from our main ports such as our ports and Schiphol Airport.
We are working on the resilience and security of these hubs, among other things to counter abuse by organized, undermining crime and to protect our vital processes and infrastructure against digital, terrorist and military threats.
By working together with provincial and municipal governments, as well as private partners, we are going to take measures to continue to have one of the best infrastructures in the world in the future.

Developments:

Every day some 3.5 million cars and 400,000 trucks travel our roads and 3.3 million people travel by public transportation and about 200,000 by air.
About 900,000 tons per day of goods are transported by inland waterway and about 4,000 per day by air.
This is thanks to the high quality of our (navigable) road network, as well as international connections via air and sea, and finely meshed public transport network.

However, accessibility is under pressure both nationally and internationally due to population and economic growth, which is going to lead to additional mobility.
The infrastructure system has proven vulnerable in recent years.
We face a huge conservation challenge.
Space in the Netherlands is scarce.
Besides space to keep accessibility good, more and more space is needed for, among other things, new housing and our businesses, and we want to keep space for recreation; all with an eye on spatial quality.

The construction of new infrastructure must also take into account limited permit space, scarce financial resources, and the availability of professionals in implementing organizations and the market.
In a number of regions, accessibility is declining as facilities are concentrated or disappear.
Road safety is under pressure.
Figures show that after years of decline, the number of traffic victims is not decreasing any further and the number of serious traffic injuries is rising.

The government is responsible for accessibility in and of the Netherlands.
The national government is responsible for the maintenance, development and safe and sustainable use of the national highways, waterways and railroads.
In addition, the national government sets the framework for the overall mobility policy in the Netherlands, for example through legislation and regulations.
The co-governments are responsible for regional (navigable) roads and regional public transport such as buses, streetcars and subways.
By working together with provincial and municipal governments, as well as private partners, the central government ensures an integrated and future-proof transportation network.
Accessibility in the Caribbean Netherlands also has its attention, taking into account the applicable division of tasks and responsibilities.

What does the cabinet want to achieve?

The Netherlands is among the top when it comes to our accessibility.
We are proud of our roads, waterways, railroads and aviation.
To remain among the top, we must continue to work on our accessibility.
On maintaining the existing infrastructure and building new roads and rail and developing the waterway network.
With maintenance, minor measures and new construction, we are bringing accessibility and logistics connections in order throughout the Netherlands and in every region.
The Dutch seaports and their connections with the European hinterland are also of great importance in the context of military mobility.
This will be further elaborated in Nota Ruimte.

Action is needed to maintain and further improve accessibility throughout the Netherlands, even in the long term.
Infrastructure also has an important structuring effect on the layout of the Netherlands.
Focusing on proximity helps to reduce travel distances and thus make the best possible use of the infrastructure.

The ambition is to do the maximum in the infrastructure field as well, but the cabinet also sees that not everything will be possible at once in the coming years.
Space to start new projects is scarce.
This applies to permit space, scarce financial resources, and the availability of professionals at implementing organizations and the market.
Starting new business will require sharp choices about what can and cannot be done.

How will this be accomplished?

Maintaining roads, railroads and waterways

This administration is embarking on the biggest conservation task ever.
Maintaining the road and rail infrastructure and the water system at the basic quality level is of great importance for our prosperity, welfare, freedom and safety.
The government is devoting considerable attention to this task so that Rijkswaterstaat and ProRail can do considerably more work in the coming years.
The Chamber is informed annually through the regular budget cycle about the production achieved on maintenance in the past year and the intended production for the coming years.

Construction of new roads and rail

To keep the Netherlands in the top spot, the government will build new roads and new rail, including so that existing and new homes are easily accessible.
When building national infrastructure, the emphasis will be on completing existing projects.

This government is making an additional EUR 2.5 billion available for infrastructure to open up (new) housing locations.
In 2025 the plans where housing construction will take place and how these residential areas will be made accessible will be worked out in more detail.
A joint network analysis will be made of the effects of the new housing locations on the main networks and the accessibility of facilities such as work locations.
Together with the co-governments, an inventory will be made of possible measures to get projects licensed.

The seventeen paused construction projects (e.g. A1/A30 (Barneveld Oost), A67 (Leenderheide-Geldrop), Volkerak and Kreekrak locks, IJsselmeer-Meppel waterway) will be taken up in phases, if there are sufficient personnel, available measures for permit space and financial resources.
Of all paused projects, an analysis of the required permit space, financial resources and personnel will be made, after which the start-up of some of the projects may or may not be started.

This administration also wants to take the following priority projects a step further:

Using the results from the Lower Saxony Line study, the government will discuss with the region how to better open up this part of the Netherlands to increase opportunities for economic and social development in areas such as living, working and learning.

Based on the results of the study of the Lelyline, the cabinet in consultation with the region – by the end of 2024 – will arrive at a follow-up mission

For the Amsterdam-Haarlemmermeer public transport connection, work is underway in the coming years – toward the end of 2025 – to make a preferred decision.

To reduce traffic jams and congestion on trains, a national approach is being developed at the request of the Chamber.
We want to explore which smart measures we can apply (such as increasing the capacity of slip roads and exits).
Agreements will also be made with educational institutions, companies and other authorities to spread travel more evenly throughout the day and keep the accessibility of the city and region in order.
The national government will set an example in this regard.

Sustainable inland shipping and reliable waterways are essential for our security of supply of goods.
This makes them of great economic value to the Netherlands.
Towards 2026, the cabinet is working on first measures within the framework of the national adaptation strategy for better navigability and bottom restoration of the rivers, especially on the IJssel and the Waal.

Road traffic

The car is the most widely used means of transport for many Dutch people.
That is why we invest in a reliable, safe, affordable and future-proof main road network, with priority given to maintenance.
So that we can continue to drive today and tomorrow.

The speed limit on freeways will be increased – where possible – to 130 kilometers per hour.
This year, the cabinet will present an action agenda Auto.
This will include the approach to 130 kilometers per hour and the response – in a safe and responsible manner – to technological and autonomous developments, such as the advance of the electric (cargo) car and further digitalization and automation.

In the coming decades, the car fleet will consist of electric cars and fuel cars.
It is important that the burden be shared fairly between the two groups so that driving remains affordable and the electric car is sufficiently supported to meet agreed climate and energy targets and achieve nitrogen reduction. The gradual increase of electric cars will reduce government revenues, while we are aiming for stable car tax revenues in the long term.
A fair contribution is required from the electric driver.
And in doing so, accessibility in the Netherlands must remain in order.
In the coming period, we will look for a new future-proof balance between these developments and present a plan for reforming car taxes and related mobility policy in the first quarter of 2025.
This plan will elaborate several options, taking into account the agreements on car tax reform and related_{CO2 reduction} as included in the Dutch Recovery and Resilience Plan (HVP).
The preconditions here are that we end all new purchase subsidies for passenger vehicles by 2025. From 2026, there will be a new motor vehicle tax rate reduction for zero-emission passenger cars, partially compensating for the technical extra weight of the battery pack.

We want to explore what smart measures we can apply (for example, faster handling of road disruptions) to reduce traffic jams and congestion. We are further exploring what additional measures can reverse the trend of increasing traffic casualties.

Public Transportation

A future-proof, reliable, safe, affordable, and accessible public transport (for example for people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments) is our commitment.
Not everywhere in the Netherlands this is self-evident.

It is a priority of this cabinet that public transportation and stations must be safe, for both the traveler and the people who work there.
This year, the cabinet will work with the industry to come up with a plan to improve safety.
Enforcement by transporters will be strengthened so that nuisance drivers and notorious undeclared drivers are dealt with.
We are investigating the sharing of data of nuisance-makers and notorious black riders with the public transport sector.
We are working with NS on concrete measures, such as the wider introduction of the bodycampilot for NS service personnel.

Important facilities must be accessible to all Dutch people.
We want to improve public transport in rural areas.
We make administrative agreements with the co-governments that are responsible for this.
Our commitment is that important bus connections between village centers remain in place and that public transport throughout the Netherlands is reliable and affordable.
We are also looking at opportunities for smart combinations of public transport on demand, such as the regional cab, with target group transport and partial mobility.
In the fall of 2024, the government will enter into discussions with decentralized authorities about effective measures for better public transport in rural areas.
The approach in Zeeland with public transport is an example of this.

To keep the railroads reliable, safe and future-proof, we are investing in the railroads with a lot of attention to conservation, but also expansion.
More and more people also travel by train to our neighbouring countries.
There will be a proposal for cross-border rail transport, including the connection of five train stations to stations on the high-speed lines just across the border.

The government aims to make a decision in 2026 on the principles of rail market regulation after 2033, when the concession for the main rail network expires.

The implementation of ERTMS (digital train protection and control) is the first necessary step for the digitalization of the unique Dutch Rail System.
ERTMS is being introduced step by step to replace the existing, outdated train safety and make the rail sector ready for the future.
This will soon allow trains for passengers and goods to run more safely and reliably.
The approach will be reassessed in 2025.

Aviation

The commitment to aviation is focused on putting the legal protection of local residents (noise levels) and regulations in order while maintaining Schiphol’s network quality.
We are proud of Schiphol and its connections with the rest of the world.
Further growth of Schiphol is possible in the long term with quieter and cleaner aircraft.

Aviation policy is developed with various stakeholders.
Use is also made of the Schiphol Social Council, the Schiphol Administrative Board, the Regional Consultation Committees of the regional airports of national significance, the Eindhoven Airport Consultation and the Sustainable Aviation Table, among others.

The government wants to restore the legal status of people living near Schiphol as quickly as possible and reduce noise pollution by 20%.
The ongoing European procedure Balanced-Approach will be continued and the results will be laid down in an airport traffic decision (LVB).
This is also necessary to comply with the court ruling in the case of the Recht op Bescherming tegen Vliegtuighinder foundation.
The airport traffic decision for Schiphol is expected in 2025.
The regulations will then need to be periodically updated.

In addition, the government will provide clarity on the opening of Lelystad Airport in 2025.

The government intends to steer towards environmental standards that will increasingly reduce the negative effects of civil aviation.
Room for growth will then be created for aviation in the longer term as aircraft become quieter and cleaner, among other things through innovation of aircraft and aviation fuels, including SAF (biogenic and synthetic fuel) and hydrogen.
Working out the standards system will take several more years.

We make an approach on the energy transition of aviation and a SAF roadmap, in order to be able to fly cleaner and to ensure that sufficient energy (from the Netherlands and Europe) is available in the future.
The cabinet will come up with this approach in spring 2025.

We are working on an improved layout of airspace.
The government is creating space for Defense (Royal Air Force) by expanding the training area in the northern part of Dutch airspace.
This also requires adaptation and modernization of civilian airspace.
The new layout of airspace should involve the shortest possible routes and thus less detours.
The improved airspace responds to geopolitical developments and forms the basis for improving the quality of the living environment around the airports.
The plans for this will be presented at the end of 2024.
An external advisory committee will be set up in early 2025.
This advice will be included in the political decision-making process (similar to prehension procedure) that will take place in 2025.

A differentiated air passenger tax by distance will be introduced.
This measure aims to more heavily tax the higher emissions from long-haul flights and will generate budgetary revenues of € 248 million per year.
The increase in the air passenger tax will be introduced on January 1, 2027 (through a separate legislative process or Tax Plan 2026).
During elaboration, the effects on emissions, network quality and Schiphol’s hub function, employment and business climate will be examined, among other things.

Goods transportation and shipping

Our economy and society require a high level of security of supply for both goods and energy.
Together with decentralized authorities and the logistics sector, the cabinet is committed to an approach that strengthens these connections, prevents disruptions in supply and delivery, and combats traffic congestion.
In 2025, the cabinet will present a new policy agenda for freight transport by road, rail and water, which will focus on the integrated approach to security of supply, energy transition and combating traffic jams.
This is based on deploying the right modality at the right place and time.
The government is strengthening the role of seaports and multimodal nodes on corridors and as a linking point with the region in realization pacts.
And is committed to further digitalization of transport information in logistics chains.

The energy transition of our shipping industry is important for a future-proof sector.
For fair competition, the government is committed to reaching sound agreements with other countries on financial measures and obligations.
Dutch maritime entrepreneurs can get started now, with subsidies, especially from the Climate Fund and National Growth Fund, and by looking together at what is needed for the transition.
This will allow them to be and remain economically healthy.

What resources are available for this?

This cabinet is making an additional EUR 2.5 billion available for opening up (new) housing locations.
These funds will be added to the Mobility Fund.

Mobility and transportation

In Europe, road transport regulations are far-reaching.
For example, vehicle manufacturers are obliged to sell an increasing proportion of emission-free cars, standards are set for the use of renewable energy carriers and the rollout of public charging and refueling infrastructure until 2030.
Besides the implementation of European policy, at the national level we facilitate the ingrowth of emission-free vehicles with, among other things, the partial weight correction in the motor vehicle tax and the rollout of charging infrastructure is necessary.
In the implementation phase, the policy affects more and more people, social organizations and companies.
Therefore, the cabinet will pay extra attention to a fair distribution of costs between drivers of emission-free and fossil vehicles.
The Cabinet encourages the growth of charging infrastructure at business parks and for trucks.
Efforts will also be made to scale up at service stations to comply with the European regulation.
The government is considering the further conversion and electrification of service stations.

The government considers it important that inner cities remain accessible to entrepreneurs.
We are looking at ways of postponing the introduction of zero-emission zones, partly so that exceptions for entrepreneurs can be regulated nationwide (standardization).
We strive for a uniform access regime and signage of these zones, taking into account entrepreneurs who switch to an electric vehicle in phases.
The establishment of zero-emission zones remains a municipal decision.
At the end of 2024, we will make agreements with parties on this and lay them down in a new covenant.

We are committed to in-house production and application of sustainable fuels in the national and international mobility and transport sectors.
There are opportunities here for industry because of the knowledge and expertise and favorable location of the Netherlands.
It also contributes to energy independence.
In chapter three, the government discusses making the international air and shipping sectors more sustainable.

Source: central government