The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works /MRDPW/ and the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment /so-called Ministry VROM/

The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works /MRDPW/ and the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment /so-called Ministry VROM/ can cooperate even more actively through specific projects in spheres of common competence. This was announced by Minister Valentin Cerovski after the meeting with his Dutch counterpart Mrs. Sybilla Dekker who is on a visit to Bulgaria. The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Her Excellency Baroness Henrietta van Linden, was also present at the conversation. The following four areas of future active cooperation between the MRDPW and Dutch Ministry VROM were outlined at the meeting between the two ministers and their teams: - Warranty and mortgage schemes in the housing sector; the instruments with which the state enhances the maintenance and rehabilitation of the housing stock as a part of its social commitment; - physical planning in the context of the sustainable development of the United Europe - restructuring of abandoned industrial zones and their transformation in attractive urban zones - forms of public-private partnership in developing housing and public building projects. Minister Sybilla Dekker underlined that the future Dutch presidency of the EU starting on 1 July will focus on activation of the cooperation with the newly-admitted member countries as well as with the candidate countries – among which is Bulgaria. The Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment has already planned a summit meeting for applying the principles of sustainable development in the renovation of high-storey housing buildings and the restructuring of surroundings thereof. The forum, which will be attended by MRDPW high officials as well, will be held in Rotterdam in November this year and will actually prepare the European conference of the ministers responsible for construction in Prague March in 2005. Mrs. Sybilla Dekker also stated that the Ministry VROM intends to intensify its contacts with the related ministries from Central and Eastern Europe. She gave as an example the readiness of the Netherlands to organize an international seminar in Bulgaria on the issues of physical planning and the sustainable development of the different kinds of territories. At the forum will be also presented the Dutch experience in drawing up the National Plan for Spatial Planning and Spatial Development for the period till 2020. Photo: Minister Valentin Cerovski and his Dutch counterpart Mrs. Sybilla Dekker – Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment PR & International Relations Directorate