An important step in the collaboration towards a single Economic Board for Limburg

The three regional economic boards for North, Central and South Limburg
have signed a Letter of Intent for far-reaching cooperation.

The three regional economic boards of Limburg are taking a joint step towards greater economic clout for the province. Crossroads Limburg, Keyport and Economische Samenwerking Zuid-Limburg (ESZL) signed a Letter of Intent this morning in which they agree to work towards a single Limburg economic agenda, which will serve as the basis for the establishment of an overarching Economic Board for the whole of Limburg. Within this board, Limburg’s entrepreneurs, educational organisations and public authorities (the so-called ‘triple helix’) will work together to strengthen the province’s business climate and earning potential.

Limburg joins forces where scale makes the difference
The labour market, talent development, energy, infrastructure, innovation and international positioning are issues that do not stop at the borders of North, Central or South Limburg. It is precisely on these themes that cooperation at a provincial level is needed to capitalise on opportunities, jointly address bottlenecks and position Limburg more strongly.

With this Letter of Intent, the three boards are opting for a targeted next phase. During this phase, they will work out how existing networks, programmes and regional agendas can be better linked to form a single Limburg economic initiative: one that is recognisable to entrepreneurs, useful for the education sector and public authorities, and effective in lobbying and implementation. After all, The Hague and Brussels are calling for partners with scale and clout to tackle major issues together.

Regional strength remains the starting point
The letter of intent is explicitly not an end in itself, but the next step in the development towards stronger Limburg-wide cooperation between businesses, the education sector and the public authorities. The strength of North, Central and South Limburg remains the starting point in this regard. Building on this regional foundation, the three boards intend to work together on issues where a Limburg-wide approach offers added value.

Focus on priorities and implementation
The proposed joint economic agenda focuses on themes where cooperation on a Limburg-wide scale yields the greatest benefits:

• The labour market and talent; attracting, training and retaining people for the Limburg economy;
• Energy and infrastructure; grid congestion issues, as well as activities relating to the 380 kV line to Chemelot and Euregional energy supplies;
• Funding and investment capacity; the aim is to position Limburg more strongly with regard to funds, investors and national and European programmes;

All of this with a focus on Limburg’s three most distinctive economic
key areas:

1. Innovative chemicals and materials
2. Biomedical technology, AI and health
3. High-value manufacturing

The board will also collaborate on opportunities relating to the Einstein Telescope. The guiding principle is that collaboration leads to concrete decisions, clearly supported ownership and follow-up actions. A key condition for success is to prevent collaboration from getting bogged down in administrative consultations. The aim is, rather, to achieve greater capacity for implementation on themes of direct importance to entrepreneurs and the Limburg economy.

Next steps: finalising governance, funding and the agenda
Over the coming months, Crossroads Limburg, Keyport and ESZL will, under the coordination of the Limburg Employers’ Association (LWV), further finalise the governance, funding, division of roles and organisational structure. In parallel, work will be carried out on an initial Limburg-wide economic agenda with a limited number of clear priorities.

Wouter Josso, on behalf of Crossroads Limburg:
“North Limburg has strong economic clusters, a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit and a robust tradition of collaboration between businesses, the education sector and the public sector. By better linking this strength with Central and South Limburg, we can accelerate opportunities and raise the province’s profile. For Crossroads Limburg, the priority is that collaboration leads to concrete projects and tangible added value for businesses.”

Gé Moonen, on behalf of Keyport:
“For Central Limburg, it is important that this initiative is built on equality and a recognisable regional foundation. A single Limburg agenda must not replace regional strength, but should instead reinforce it. If we organise this properly, we can, as Limburg, act more forcefully towards entrepreneurs, the education sector, government and external partners.”

André Postema, on behalf of ESZL:
“South Limburg has strong assets in the fields of knowledge, health, chemicals, materials and innovation. To truly compete at national and European level, it is important that we link that strength to the economic agenda of the whole of Limburg. This Letter of Intent is an important step towards that.”

Ron Coenen, chair of the LWV and process manager for this initiative:
“Limburg has a lot to offer, but needs to present this more often as a single narrative. We must work together over the long term on the major challenges, even if regions retain their own priorities in certain areas. This step helps us to engage with The Hague and Brussels with greater coherence, focus and conviction.” The ambition is to have taken a formal next step towards Economic Board Limburg by the end of 2026. The Letter of Intent marks the start of a follow-up phase in which the parties involved will jointly work out how Limburg can achieve greater economic clout, whilst maintaining and strengthening existing regional ecosystems.”

If you have any questions, please contact Ron Coenen, chair of LWV, at voorzitter@lwv.nl or on 06 17 67 24 84.