ASSEN, 28/06/06 - The Dutch economic affairs ministry, the North Netherlands Partnership and the German regions of Lower Saxony and Bremen want to work together more closely. At a conference in Assen, they identified four themes for economic cooperation.

The northern Netherlands and the German regions want to jointly grow into "the leading European energy region, particularly for renewable energy and gas," according to the ministry. They are also seeking "economic and logistics partnership in the maritime sector, including joint initiatives for the abolition of hampering regulations." Innovation in agriculture is another theme, as is "cross-border partnership on intelligent sensor systems to generate economically interesting applications."

Economic Affairs State Secretary Van Gennip has signed a statement with her counterparts from the two German regions. In the statement, they call on knowledge institutions, the business community and government authorities to enter into partnership links. A joint working party will monitor the agreements and the signatories will assess progress at end-2007.