Ministry of Transportation and Water Management (Netherlands)
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The Ministry of Transportation and Water Management (Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat; V&W) is the Dutch ministry responsible for the Dutch system of water management, public and private transport and infrastructure. The current minister is Camiel Eurlings, he is aided by a state secretary, Tineke Huizinga-Heringa.
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[edit] Responsibilities
The Motto of the ministry is "familiar with water, progressive with connections". The ministry has two main responsibilities:
- Regulation and management of transportation of people and goods via roads, trains, boats and airplanes
- Water management by water works, such as dikes, polders and channels
[edit] Organisation
The ministry is currently headed by one minister and one state secretary. The ministry's main office is located in the centre of the Hague. The civil service is headed by a secretary general and a deputy secretary general, who head a system of four directorates general:
- Passenger transport
- Freight transport of goods and civil aviation
- Water Affairs
- Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat)
There are two autonomous agencies:
- Inspection Transportation and Water Management
- KNMI, the national metreological institution
An important other institution involved in water management in the Netherlands are the Water boards, which manage local and regional water works.
The ministry owns shares in:
- Railinfratrust BV (Prorail) (100%)
- Groningen Airport Eelde NV (majority interest)
- NV Luchtvaartterrein Texel (majority interest)
- NV Westerscheldetunnel (95,4%)
- Nederlandse Omroep-zendermaatschappij (Nozema) NV (59%)
- NV Luchthaven Maastricht (minority interest)
[edit] History
The Ministry of Transportation and Water Management is one of the oldest of the Netherlands, as it was founded in 1877 as the Ministry of Water Management, Trade and Industry, which existed in several different forms until 1840, when it was integrated into the ministry of internal affairs. In 1877 Water Management, Trade and Industry became a separate ministry again. In 1906 Water Management became a separate ministry. After the Second World War, Transportation was added to the responsibilities of the ministry.
[edit] Ministers
Since 1989 the following politicians have been minister of Transportation and Water Management:
- Joop Bakker (1967–1971)
- Willem Drees Jr. (1971–1972)
- Berend Jan Udink (1972–1973)
- Tjerk Westerterp (1973–1977)
- Danny Tuijnman (1977–1981)
- Henk Zeevalking (1981–1982)
- Neelie Kroes (1982–1989)
- Hanja Maij-Weggen (1989–1994)
- Coos Andriessen (1994)
- Annemarie Jorritsma (1994–1998)
- Tineke Netelenbos (1998–2002)
- Roelf de Boer (2002–2003)
- Karla Peijs (2002–2007)
- Camiel Eurlings (2007–present)
