Roles and responsibilities of the ministry

The Directorate General for the Environment is responsible for national environmental policy directed to contributing to sustainable economic development and to the health and safety of people by maintaining and improving the quality of the environment.

The key policy portfolios are:
Sustainable Consumption and Production
Climate and Air Quality
Environmental Risk Management
International Affairs
Sustainable Procurement
Biofuels

Environmental Management Act
Almost all national legislation on the environment is incorporated in the Environmental Management Act. This act sets out an integrated approach to environmental management in the Netherlands and provides the legal framework by defining the roles of national, provincial or regional, and municipal government. 

The Act stipulates the tools to be used in environmental management including:
• Environmental plans, for instance, the national waste management plan that regulates municipal waste collection, disposal of discarded equipment such as refrigerators and TVs, and permits for hazardous waste shipment.
• Environmental quality criteria for emissions and discharges of harmful substances such as greenhouse gases and heavy metals to air, water and soil. 
• Environmental impact assessment is a prerequisite for the construction of major infrastructure such as oil refineries, nuclear power plants, chemical plants, roads, railways, and oil and gas pipelines. 
• Environmental permits: In addition to regulations for the emission of substances harmful to the environment, large companies, such as chemical plants, are required to obtain environment permits that stipulate limits for the discharge of substances harmful to the environment.
• Environmental reporting is directed to stimulating companies to make production cleaner and more environmentally friendly. Many companies such as those involved in metal processing and chemical production are required to publish an annual environmental report. The Ministry is responsible for ensuring that the reporting requirement of the EU Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) are met. Those companies and organisations required to prepare an Integrated PRTR report on waste, air emissions (greenhouse gases), and discharges into water sources are listed in the Publicatieblad van de Europese Unie Bijlage II van de EG-verordening PRTR. 
• Enforcement. VROM Inspectorate is largely responsible for ensuring the provisions of the Environmental Management Act are enforced. Enforcement is also a task of the municipalities, the police and the justice system.

EU legislation
Some 80% of Dutch legislation on the environment is derived from EU legislation. The national Environmental Management Act, which sets out how the environment is to be protected, is based on EU legislation and regulations.

The Netherlands contributes to the development of EU policies on the environment and to other policy areas with either direct or indirect bearing on creating a sustainable living environment in Europe and the Netherlands.

The main political driving force for improving the quality of the environment and human health is the EU Treaty and the body of legislation to be adopted by Member States. This covers aspects ranging from protecting ecosystems and biodiversity, improving water supply, to reducing noise pollution.

EU environmental regulations have a major impact on national policy, for instance:
• Climate change: The EU has an agreement to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in 2020 by 20% of 1990 levels.
• Sustainable Consumption and Production: The EU is implementing an ambitious Action Plan to stimulate sustainable production and consumption in key economic sectors such as food, transport, and energy. This is a crucial stepping stone to making the economies of the EU Member States sustainable and resource efficient.

International treaties
With increasing globalisation, solutions for policy issues of sustainability, safety and security of supply are increasingly rooted in the global international context, especially in the United Nations. Tackling these issues requires international cooperation and the Netherlands as an EU Member State supports and participates in updating international treaties and bodies on key global issues such as climate change, resource efficiency, protecting biodiversity and managing the risks of dispersion of hazardous substances.

As a EU Member State, the Netherlands contributes to negotiations on EU regulations and, as part of the EU, to international negotiations for a sustainable living environment.