The government and the umbrella organizations of municipalities, provinces, and water boards have reached agreement on a new implementation date for the Environmental Law. With the date of January 1, 2022, they want to provide extra time and space for a smooth implementation of the law. This was reported by Minister Ollongren of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in a letter to both Chambers.

In a joint statement accompanying the letter to the Chamber, the government and the umbrella organizations endorse that the new implementation date for the Environmental Law is desirable and realistic. The government and the umbrella organizations have carefully examined the progress of the legislation, the Digital System for the Environmental Law (DSO), and the implementation of the Environmental Law. They did not make a hasty decision. After all, the Environmental Law can only be properly implemented once. All parties see the benefits of the Environmental Law and are working for a swift and careful implementation. Governments need the Environmental Law to better tackle complex and pressing social challenges, such as energy transition and climate adaptation. Additionally, a simpler and more user-friendly system for environmental law is also in the interest of citizens, businesses, and social organizations. Minister Ollongren: "In recent years, a lot of effort has been put into the development and implementation of the Environmental Law. It is important that we continue this energy and also work hard on the law in the coming period, so that everyone can work on the physical environment more easily as of January 1, 2022."

Meanwhile, governments and ICT providers are working together on the implementation of the Environmental Law. After the implementation of the Environmental Law, the government and the umbrella organizations will continue to collaborate on a smooth implementation of the law, and the authorities will be supported in various ways in the practical implementation of the law.

The design of the Royal Decree with the new implementation date will be presented to the First and Second Chambers after the summer. If the parliament agrees, the date of January 1, 2022 will be definitively established.