Zeeland provincial administrators angry after meeting with State Secretary Visser

Directors of the province of Zeeland, the municipality of Vlissingen and the Scheldestromen water board are angry with State Secretary Visser of Defense. In a letter that the directors have sent to Visser and Prime Minister Rutte, they write that in their eyes the state secretary did not communicate correctly about the conversation.

There is great dissatisfaction with the Zeeland people about Visser ‘s actions, following last week, among other things News hour leaked that Visser wants to scrap the planned construction of the new marine barracks in Vlissingen and wants to relocate the barracks to Nieuw Milligen.

The Council of Ministers blocked that proposal, among other things after criticism from CDA ministers. Prime Minister Rutte did not want to say anything about it after the Council of Ministers. The Rutte 1 cabinet decided in 2012 to relocate the barracks from Doorn to Vlissingen.

This morning Visser came to explain at the provincial government office in Middelburg. According to the province of Zeeland, Visser apologized for the way things were going, but Deputy Dick van der Velde does not think that is enough.

In a press statement he says: “You cannot restore damaged confidence by just saying sorry. That requires more.” Alderman Vader van Vlissingen described the meeting with Omroep Zeeland as a “cool conversation”, State Secretary Visser spoke of a “spirited conversation”.

No new arguments

It is high for the people of Zeeland that afterwards Visser told the press that the Zeeland directors want to think along with “the dilemma” that Visser outlined in her letter to the House. According to the drivers that picture is not correct.

“However, we have explicitly said that we want to think along where we can further assist with the realization of the marine barracks in Vlissingen”, the province, the municipality and the water board write to Visser. “If we can further support you in this, we will of course be happy (as always) to do so.” The provincial administrators say that they have not heard any new arguments from Visser as to why the move from Doorn to Vlissingen should be reconsidered.

“Apparently a misunderstanding”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense says that Visser has called the King’s Commissioner in response to the letter. “She said to the king’s commissioner: apparently I was misunderstood. She acknowledges that the Zeeland administrators did not share her dilemmas, but did offer an outstretched hand to the state secretary about the impending outflow at the Marine Corps.”

The spokesperson also points out that Visser has called the mayor of Vlissingen to nuance her statements.

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