‘YOU CAN ONLY LOBBY EFFECTIVELY WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT DRIVES A POLITICIAN’

René Rouwette has worked as a lobbyist in The Hague for around 13 years. He began his lobbying career for a few civil society organizations, and his work was noticed by a lobbying firm. When he was asked to work for the firm, he accepted on the condition that he would only work for clients he believed in and would have the opportunity to set up a pro bono lobby. René previously worked for ENVAQUA. Since the industry association’s merger with Water Alliance in January of this year, he has worked as Public Affairs Manager for the latter organization in The Hague. He aims to put the many aspects relevant to the Water Alliance’s constituency (e.g., national regulations) on the agenda with national politicians and establish coalitions aimed at national government.

RENÉ, YOU ARE A PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER, COLLOQUIALLY KNOWN AS A ‘LOBBYIST’. WHAT DO YOU DO, EXACTLY?

An essential part of my job is getting inside the politician’s head. You can only lobby effectively if you fully understand what drives a politician and can tailor your message accordingly. This should generally be short and to the point, focused on the timing and the flow of documents in the House of Representatives. You cannot imagine how many documents are sent from the Cabinet to the House of Representatives every day. A politician has to process all of it. Also, it is not only important what you say as a lobbyist but also how you say it. If you have a strong message, you can not only message a politician (mailboxes are often overflowing), but you will also get a reply.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH YOUR WORK?

I always feel there is something to improve, but I also realize that Water Alliance has only recently begun to structure the lobby towards national politics. As Water Alliance, we travel around the world with our companies to sell our technology; domestically, however, we run into laws and regulations and still need more presence at the administrative tables. Our brand recognition could be better, but we have created a clear and fitting agenda in the past year. The recent award of the National Growth Fund [see elsewhere in this issue, ed.] could also help put us more on the map. Jantienne van der MeijKranendonk and colleagues did a beautiful job there.

WHAT ARE CURRENT TOPICS YOU ARE WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?

I will name three. Firstly, desiccation and drinking water conservation. The water system is reaching its limits due to desiccation, excessive runoff, salinization and increasing water demand from a growing population and economy. The Dutch government has set a goal for companies and residents to use 20% less drinking water. The safe application of circular water (especially grey water and rainwater) in homes and buildings can play an important role in this regard, and the government is considering grant opportunities to that end. Around 73% of drinking water in the Netherlands is supplied to households. Agriculture and industry are also major drinking water consumers, sometimes against their own will.

Secondly, energy conservation and water: companies, associations, municipalities and households are struggling to make ends meet due to rising energy prices. Lowering the required temperature for domestic hot water is an interesting option in this context. If you heat water less, you need less energy. Lowering the temperature of domestic hot water also makes it possible to apply modern heat pumps at maximum efficiency in households. At the request of the House of Representatives, the Cabinet is investigating the extent to which it is possible to safely lower hot tap water temperature in homes and buildings to below 60 degrees. However, plans for national practical research are stalled, which blocks the implementation. I am trying to get that ball rolling through politics.

Lastly, water quality and biocides. Even in the Netherlands, water too often contains drug residues, antibiotics and pesticides. Water technology companies can help solve that problem. Unfortunately, sustainable startups and innovations often encounter long waiting times (7 years), high process costs (approx. 1.8 million) and great uncertainty because they often do not know or are not told whether their product counts as a biocide. I will continue to focus attention on that.

jantienne van der meij-kranendonk director of tki water technology & manager of government affairs at watercampus