The executive committee of Regio Twente has elected to propose to the Regioraad (regional council) that it sell its shares in Twence. In doing so, the executive committee has followed the recommendations of the Brekelmans Commission. Regio Twente would like to use the money to finance the so-called Innovation Route and the Agenda of Twente, among other things. Those require €80 million.

The board of directors and the supervisory board of Twence have offered the executive committee of Regio Twente solutions for making the necessary funds available. In the consultation with the Regio Twente, they have discussed the options of selling and continuing their shareholdership.

Twence was recently informed that, after having considering both options, the executive committee has selected the option of selling its shares in Twence. This was based in part on a principled consideration about governments owning shares in the private sector.

This means that the executive committee will be advising the participating municipalities to sell their shares in Twence. This was decided during a closed meeting of the Regioraad on 29 August.

The board of directors, the supervisory board and the employees’ council of Twence are awaiting the decision of the Regioraad on 24 October. If the Regioraad accepts the recommendation to sell, a procedure will be initiated in close collaboration with Regio Twente and the other shareholders to ensure that the sale of shares will take place in the best way.

In that connection, the continuity of Twence and the retention of high-quality employment for the area will be the point of departure for both the board of directors and the employees’ council. Over the past few years, Twence has developed in highly innovative ways and has invested in its expansion. It is naturally important for Twence to maintain these opportunities for development.