People who lived around the Chemcours, formerly DuPont, chemical plant between 1970 and 2012 can go for a free blood test next month. This applies to people who lived in areas contaminated by harmful substances from the factory for at least a year, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and environment said to the Tweede Kamer, ANP reports.
Sharon Dijksma
Sep 21 '17 09:37
The United Nations Global Center of Excellence on Climate Adaption (GCECA) that is opening in the Netherlands, will be based in Rotterdam and Groningen, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment announced. The two cities' joint application had the most convincing plan, she said, according to NOS.
Sep 14 '17 08:39
State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure gave a remarkable answer to parliamentary questions by a PVV MP about NS' decision to use gender-neutral terms in their announcements.
PVV parliamentarian Roy van Aalst wanted to know hom many people are working on implementing the new gender-neutral form of address of "dear travelers" in NS announcements, according to AD.
Sep 13 '17 09:18
State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment plans to reduce noise pollution on the Veluwe after Lelystad Airport's expansion with a different flight route and by making planes fly at a higher altitude, she told the Tweede Kamer, NU.nl reports.
Aug 17 '17 14:30
Dutch parliamentarians were shocked by reports that the number of runway incursions at Schiphol airport is significantly higher than at other airports of similar size. They demand an explanation from responsible State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment, AD reports.
Jul 7 '17 08:36
Schiphol Airport is getting help from various government services as well as citizens this busy summer period, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure announced on Friday. "We are doing everything to prevent repetition", she said to the Telegraaf, referring to massive crowds, delays and long lines at the airport during the May holidays.
Jun 23 '17 07:35
NS employees are striking in Arnhem between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. today. Train traffic may be hindered, not only in Arnhem, but also in the rest of the country. NS advises travelers to keep an eye on their site for delays before leaving for the station. So far all early morning trains left on time, AD reports.
Jun 16 '17 07:44
The Netherlands is doubling its contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to 100 thousand euros to help compensate for the United States' withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, Environment State Secretary Sharon Dijksma said to the Volkskrant. She called on other European countries to do the same and thereby fill the financial hole the Americans left.
Jun 2 '17 07:54
The United States is pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, president Donald Trump announced in a statement at the White House on Thursday afternoon, local time. The Netherlands deplores this decision, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in response. Our country and the rest of the world remains committed to battling climate change, he stressed. Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders called Trump's decision a "cardinal error", Environment State Secretary Sharon Dijksma called it a "historic mistake".
Jun 1 '17 09:18
State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment calls it a "bitter disappointment" that the United States seems to be planning to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, as American media reported widely on Wednesday. "If it's true, today is a sad day for the world", she said to RTL Nieuws.
On Wednesday American media sources massively reported that president Donald Trump will abandon the climate pact, though there is no official confirmation from the White House yet. On Twitter Trump said he will announce his plans at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, local time.
May 9 '17 08:49
Schiphol Airport will open all security gates in Departure Hall 1 during the summer season to help deal with the expected crowds. All security gates in Departure Hall 2 will also be opened if necessary, the airport announced following consultations between State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure, Schiphol CEO Jos Nijhuis and KLM CEO Pieter Elbers, NU.nl reports.
Apr 13 '17 07:31
State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure fined NS 1.25 million euros for its disappointing performance on the high speed line to Belgium. Track manager ProRail was fined 1.05 million euros for not complying with agreements made with Dijksma. If NS does not meet the required performance this year, the rail company will be forced to work with competitors, AD reports.
Mar 29 '17 12:40
Departing State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment is organizing a conference in the United States to try and influence the U.S. administration's climate policy, NRC reports. This follows U.S. president Donald Trump's decision to put an end to the climate policy of his predecessor Barack Obama, calling it a "waste of money". Dijksma fears that without cooperation from the U.S., it may be impossible to reach the goals set in the Paris Climate Agreement, according to the newspaper.
Feb 28 '17 11:15
To reach the targets set in the Paris Climate Agreement, the European Union must reduce its CO2 emissions faster, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment said in Brussels at a meeting of EU Environment Ministers on Tuesday. The EU's ambitions are too low and the Netherlands and other countries are so concerned that they are considering voting against the EU plans and teaming up to come to their own, separate and more ambitious agreements, the Volkskrant reports.
Feb 6 '17 10:26
On Monday State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment is giving the go ahead for the establishment of the Global Center of Excellence on Climate change. The center will be based in the Netherlands and is being established by the Netherlands, Japan and the United Nations environmental organization UNEP, NU.nl reports.
Jan 9 '17 09:51
The Dutch government is making another 25 million euros available to secure unguarded railroad crossings throughout the country. This is on top of 10 million euros already dedicated to the purpose, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment announced, according to BNR.
Some of the unguarded railway crossings will be closed, others will be equipped with booms or warning signs. Dijksma hopes to convince provinces and municipalities to also contribute money for this purpose.
Dec 7 '16 16:30
After years of renovations, the Utrecht Centraal train station finally opened today. And all travelers were invited to enjoy the day long celebration of the reopening, DUIC reports.
The festivities started at 6:30 a.m. with a lesson from yoga teacher Christa Schep. "Try to keep your breathing calm and constant", you could hear her saying from the balcony, over the rush of people trying to catch their train.
Nov 30 '16 14:05
The plans for expanding Lelystad Airport have been significantly delayed. The first commercial aircraft will, at the earlierst, depart from the airport somehere in 2019, instead of April 2018 as initially planned, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure wrote to parliament on Tuesday, ANP reports.
Nov 28 '16 08:32
The PvdA was complicit in normalizing racism and discrimination over the past 20 years, candidate MP for DENK Sylvana Simons said in the Amsterdam debate center De Balie in an interview with Wilfred Genee on Sunday. In a reaction PvdA leader Diederik Samsom called these accusations "absurd", NU.nl reports.
Nov 1 '16 16:00
NS, ProRail, municipalities and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment are together investing 80 million euros into creating 80 thousand extra parking spots for bicycles at train stations, the Telegraaf reports.
Oct 27 '16 13:25
KLM's independence will not be compromised by the new strategy for Air France-KLM that CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac is presenting early next month, Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem of Finance assured parliament after several dais of intensive discussions with the CEO, NOS reports.
Oct 19 '16 14:10
While the leak of carcinogenic formaldehyde at chemical company DuPont in Dordrecht was "very dangerous", it caused no immediate damage, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment wrote to parliament. The long-term effects of the leak are not yet clear
Sep 14 '16 13:20
The Dutch government wants to close a material agreement with companies, municipalities, provinces and civil society organizations before the end of the year. The ultimate goal for this deal is to recycle all raw materials by 2050, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment wrote parliament
Jun 30 '16 10:16
Travelers left behind on the station due to overcrowded trains should be compensated for their delay, according to consumers organizations ConsumentenClaim and Maatschappij voor Beter OV
