Kars de Graaf first Government Commissioner for Environment and Planning Act

Kars de Graaf will become the first Government Commissioner for the Environment and Planning Act. He will assume the new position as of January 1, 2024, simultaneously with the entry into force of the new statutory system. The Government Commissioner for the Environment and Planning Act will help monitor and guarantee the quality and unity of the system. The Environment and Planning Act combines the laws and regulations of environmental law into one system.

The Council of Ministers on Friday agreed to the proposal of Minister Hugo de Jonge of the Interior and Kingdom Relations to establish the position of Government Commissioner for the Environment and Planning Act and to appoint Kars de Graaf for this purpose. The Government Commissioner will promote optimal use of the potential of the system and make proposals for further development. In view of this, the Government Commissioner also has the task of providing solicited and unsolicited advice on important developments surrounding the Environment and Planning Act system.

The creation of the Government Commissioner stems from recommendations of the former Integral Advisory Committee on the Environment Act and from commitments to Parliament. Recruitment took place in a public procedure based on a profile.

Kars de Graaf is attached to the Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen as a professor. He is an expert in the field of general administrative law and environmental law, including the Environment and Planning Act. In addition to his position as government commissioner for the Environment and Planning Act, he remains affiliated with the government.

This article was published by the Faculty of Law.