Municipalities of NL are no longer allowed to make online decisions despite corona infections
The Dutch Association of Registrars calls on the cabinet to once again adopt a temporary law that allows governments to make decisions online during meetings. The rising corona numbers make this necessary, but a temporary law expired last week.
The Registrar’s Association calls Minister Hanke Bruins Slot of the Interior to recreate the Temporary Digital Deliberation and Decision-Making Act. The ministry has now indicated that it will enter into talks with the association, but has not yet found a solution. The VvG calls on municipalities to pass on their experiences with the legislation.
The Temporary Digital Deliberation and Decision-Making Act made it possible for municipal councils, but also other government bodies such as the Provincial Council and water boards, to meet digitally, or more specifically, to make decisions digitally. Normally, in local democracies, decisions can only be taken personally. When the Dutch administrative authorities sat at home during the corona crisis, it turned out to be difficult to pass laws and decisions. The Temporary Digital Deliberation Act made it legally possible to hold digital meetings. The temporary law has already been extended eleven times. The last time that happened was in April of this year. The Senate then announced that it did not want to extend the law again. Since July 1, the law is no longer active and governments can no longer meet online.
That is causing problems, just a week after the shutdown, according to the Association of Clerks. This is due to the still increasing corona contamination figures. That would ensure that many drivers still call in sick. “The first municipalities are already running into problems at the last meetings before the summer recess,” writes the VvG. “In De Bilt, several council members and aldermen have tested positive, while the Framework Memorandum has to be adopted.”
Minister Bruins Slot says he is working on a ‘permanent temporary arrangement’ that makes online meetings possible. This could activate a temporary law that can be made active when the contamination figures rise too much. However, that will not happen until 2023 at the earliest.