Government

Brabant residents are proud of their roots. They know their province and its borders. The provincial administration takes initiatives on an economic, social and cultural level and coordinates actions.

The current 67 municipalities in Brabant are often umbrella administrations of various village centres that have been independent at some time or another. The five largest cities in the province create ‘Brabantstad’; the second largest urban network in the Netherlands, second only to Randstad. ‘BrabantStad' includes Breda, Eindhoven, Helmond, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Tilburg.

It is a unique administrative form that offers every town the chance to express its own individuality but in which they also agree on a joint approach in relation to opportunities and threats. Each administrative level, in turn, works together with scores of social organisations that in part implement policy.

The Brabant Agenda

The Province of Brabant is facing a new challenge. As in other regions of Europe, the economic crisis is exerting enormous pressure on public resources. At the same time, far-reaching social developments demand an innovative approach. The direct consequences of the financial, energy and climate crises requires the province to reflect on the future of Brabant.

The mission of the Brabant Agenda is to create an excellent environment for economic and social development towards a high quality of life and, through this, to achieve an innovative and globally competitive region.

In order to create an investment strategy focused on the future, the Agenda of Brabant has been used as the basis for formulating a number of criteria and proposing five investment areas that fit the province’s new profile and set of responsibilities:

• Knowledge: long-term innovation and smart craftmanship
• The accessible region
• Quality of life: top facilities in the areas of sport and culture
• Brabant mosaic: the development of towns, villages and countryside, focusing on cultural heritage and regional identity
• Nature and landscape