Policy
Here is an overview of the most important policy measures related to the Sigma Plan:
Development Outline 2010
The Sigma Plan is part of the Scheldt Estuary Development Outline 2010. This combined package of measures and projects in Flanders and the Netherlands will create a safer, more accessible and natural river Scheldt. The sustainable and balanced development of the Scheldt with a view to all its functions - that is the principal aim of the Development Outline.
Find more info about the Development Outline 2010 at www.vnsc.eu
Natura 2000
By restoring the nature surrounding the Scheldt, we are helping to achieve Natura 2000 objectives. Natura 2000 is a European network of conservation areas. Natura 2000 came into being in response to two European directives: the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. According to these directives, all Member States must designate protected zones in which they preserve protected animals and habitats. In recent decades, much valuable nature has been lost along the Scheldt and its tributaries. To restore these areas, European conservation objectives were drafted for the entire Scheldt area. Some of these objectives protect specific species, while others protect characteristic habitats.
You will find more info about Natura 2000 here.
The Most Favourable Alternative
In 2005, the Flemish Government established which areas could deliver the greatest contributions to the safety and the natural character of Flanders in a socially responsible manner. The result was the Most Favourable Alternative (MFA). A deviation from the MFA is only possible if the alternatives proposed provide an equal level of protection.
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