On Wednesday 29 August, HOGIAF received Lammert van Raan (Member of the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) for the Party for the Animals), followed by a working visit to an entrepreneur affiliated with HOGIAF.
During the reception at the HOGIAF office in Amsterdam, the member of the House of Representatives was informed about HOGIAF and the challenges facing its members. A member entrepreneur active in the automotive sector was then visited.
There was, of course, also plenty of room to exchange views on the positions of the Party for the Animals. Lammert van Raan stressed in particular that business and politics badly need each other to meet the challenges of the future, especially in the area of making the Netherlands more sustainable. The government should put the sustainability of the Netherlands much more at the centre.
The member of the House of Representatives pointed to the responsibility of politics to take the necessary measures to structure things so that it becomes more attractive and easier for entrepreneurs to become more sustainable. Van Raan also indicated that the government should not shy away from taking legal measures if entrepreneurs do not take the necessary steps. It is important, however, that entrepreneurs are then given clear frameworks by politics, so that they know how to act in order to meet the requirements set.
The Party for the Animals takes the view that the Netherlands does not need to wait for other countries to become more sustainable, even if this hurts, because that is precisely where the opportunities lie to gain a head start. Van Raan believes that fair, true prices should be paid for those products and services whose external costs are not included in the price. That is still far from always the case at present. Finally, he raised the point that the Party for the Animals always advocates a diet and lifestyle that is as plant-based as possible.
HOGIAF thanks Lammert van Raan of the Party for the Animals for his visit, the joint working visit and the open and constructive conversations. Finally, HOGIAF is positive about Van Raan's commitment to exchange views in the short term with a group of HOGIAF members about their challenges.
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The largest cross-cultural and multisectoral business association in the Netherlands.
