Flemish-Dutch cooperation in Scheldt area

Traditionally, the Scheldt estuary has played a crucial role in the relationship between the Netherlands and Flanders/Belgium. For instance, both countries benefit from robust flood protection measures in the Scheldt area, which has regularly been struck by heavy storm floods since medieval times. Accessibility of the large Scheldt ports of Antwerp, Ghent, Terneuzen and Vlissingen, not only from the sea but also from inland navigation, is essential for the flourishing of countries and regions and is a matter of cross-border significance. Moreover, the Scheldt estuary is one of the few remaining natural estuaries in North West Europe. Agriculture, fisheries and recreation are also essential functions in the Scheldt estuary.

That is why Flanders and the Netherlands have a great interest in a sustainable and balanced policy which is focused on a maximum security against floods, an optimal accessibility of the Scheldt ports and a healthy and dynamic estuary ecosystem. It is therefore obvious that cooperation in the form of a common policy and management is essential. This cooperation has been formalised in the Treaty of December 21, 2005 on cooperation in respect of policy and management in the Scheldt estuary. The Flemish-Dutch Scheldt Commission (VNSC) is the instrument for the realisation of these common objectives.