Netherlands National Platform

History

In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the activities on national safety and security, disaster reduction and crisis management are based on the Cabinet's Strategy on National Safety and Security since 2007. 

Since 2023, the Kingdom of the Netherlands has established a new approach, a more integrated and whole-of-society approach in the form of the Security Strategy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Where relevant, in terms of both the preparation and implementation of measures, the crisis plans and scenarios formulated by the government, safety regions and municipal authorities take the needs of vulnerable groups into account as much as possible, including in refugee and migration contexts. 

In terms of crisis communication, authorities act in accordance with EU directives with regard to accessibility, within the constraints of the technical possibilities and time pressure, and everything is focused on reaching all target groups. In recent years, additional attention has been given to people who are dependent on Dutch Sign Language. This has led to the creation of an on-call function. Accessibility is an important principle in the development and refining of alert and crisis channels. A focus on the health and position of persons with disabilities continues to be necessary, potentially in the form of additional actions or measures. 

The Government is also developing a new NL-Alert, which aims to provide accessible information in emergency situations, for example, by reading messages aloud and/or displaying a map of the crisis zone.

Structure

The Security Strategy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands is the outcome of broad participation on the part of public, private and civil society organizations from all parts of the country. It is coordinated by the Ministry of Justice and Security as well as within the ministry by the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security department.

Mandate 

The Ministry of Justice and Security is responsible for coordinating disasters and crises.

Activities

Based on the National Risk Assessment (and the outcomes of the research on climate change) the Netherlands generated within the crisis management and disaster relief extra actions.

In 2007 and 2008 a Cabinets’ Taskforce Flooding was installed to develop worst credible flood scenario’s and based on that a nationwide preparation. It cumulated into a week’s exercise with about 15.000 people from NGO’s, different governmental organisations and different operational organisations. 

At that time also a Delta commission was installed by the Cabinet to develop a strategy and programme for protecting NL against floods and shortage of drinking water for the next 100 years. (see http://www.deltacommissie.com/ en/advies).

In 2009 following the special attention on floods the NL organised the biggest EU exercise ever to test the assistance from Member States of the EU. In this year – according to the NRA - there was special attention for pandemics. It started a half year before the global outbreak of H5N1 made the scenario real. 

These developments are steered by a juridical base and for all governmental levels. 

The new Water law is for instance based on three layers namely prevention, spatial planning and crisis management. Here is a direct link with the EU Flood directive.

For the policy field of crisis management a new Security Regions Act became in force in 2010 for the 25 safety regions. The Act is about regional risk assessment, scenarios and capacity analysis/building. (https://www. government.nl/documents/decrees/2011/09/29/dutch-security-regions-actofficial-consolidated-version)

Next to these special actions - since a long time – there is special attention to risks with hazmats with its juridical base in the EU SEVESO II directive. This topic is part of our NRA. In addition, other EU directives and the implementation of them – like EPCIP - are fitting in the efforts to reach a more resilient and safer society in the Netherlands.

Budget

Budgetary provisions are used for a variety of expenditures that relate either directly or indirectly to disaster prevention, safety and security.