ABSTRACT
Traditionally, Dutch environmental policies have been strongly dominated by the coordinative model of governance with the central state in charge. The prime responsibility of municipalities was to implement and enforce national regulations, largely based on the use of permits and licences. During the last 20 years some important changes have occurred within Dutch environmental policy. Many of these relate to the national policy ambition to improve the integration of Dutch environmental policies with other policies, most notably with spatial planning. To the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM), these changes are to contribute to the creation of an ‘optimal environmental quality’ on a local level (VROM 2001). This optimal environmental quality is considered dependent on local circumstances. Given their proximity to local interests and circumstances, municipalities are given a leading role in pursuing such an optimal environmental quality.
