New Dutch coalition makes maritime ‘national strategic importance’

The Netherlands’ coalition government – which is made up of the three parties D66 (Democrats 66), Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) – has decided that maritime, offshore energy and associated industrial infrastructure must be placed firmly at the heart of the country’s long-term economic, security and energy strategies.

“This recognition underlines the importance of a strong maritime and offshore industry for the Netherlands: for energy security, defence, water safety and our economic earning capacity,” the agreement says.

“It also shows that the joint efforts of companies, knowledge institutions and sector organisations to draw attention to this strategic importance have had an effect and are now bearing fruit.”

Practical terms

The agreement says energy policy should be a central pillar, and that 40GW of offshore wind capacity would be funded through a Contracts for Difference mechanism. It also says that better interconnection with other countries should be pushed.

“With a periodic simplification law, laws and regulations are continuously improved. We start by scrapping and simplifying at least 500 rules and then set a target for each ministry,” it says.

It says nuclear energy should be included in this, with accelerated development of small modular reactors and support for innovation. 

For energy-intensive port and industrial areas, the coalition proposes a national spatial-economic strategy aimed at clustering heavy industry in designated zones of national importance. This approach is intended to strengthen competitiveness while managing land-use pressures and infrastructure demand.

The agreement addresses maritime safety and resilience, prioritising investment in ageing bridges, locks, tunnels and rail infrastructure, and linking maintenance programmes to defence needs through dual-use planning with the Ministry of Defence. Protection of critical infrastructure in the North Sea and the Caribbean is also highlighted.