ABSTRACT
The Netherlands, as a small, highly populated country largely below sea level, has had a historical interest in water and resource management. With a population of 16 million people, it has the 16th largest economy in the world and the sixth largest in the European Union. The Netherlands is a country with a long tradition of consultation and cooperation. Some see the origin of this tradition in the way the Dutch joined forces to combat the sea and inland waters. But what is perhaps most significant is that the Netherlands has for a long time been a country of diverse faiths and political ideas, where no single group has an absolute majority. The percentage of renewable energy production is increasing, but is still very low compared with other countries. Deteriorating biodiversity and the quality of surface water remain serious concerns.
