Overview
- The Werelderfgoedcentrum Waddenzee (WEC) has warned it will file for bankruptcy within fourteen days unless an urgent rescue plan secures new funding.
- The Province of Groningen and the Municipality Het Hogeland recently told the WEC they will no longer provide financial support or play a role in keeping the centre afloat.
- The organisation carries an estimated €2.6 million shortfall tied to unexpected cost overruns from its new building, which opened in April 2025, and depleted reserves after years of weaker-than-expected operations.
- Major creditors and contractors, led by Dijkstra Draisma, say WEC proposals were inadequate and that requests to negotiate were met with little or no response from the centre.
- A bankruptcy would halt rescues and care for seals in need, put about forty staff out of work, and deal a blow to tourism and the local economy in Noord-Groningen and Noord-Friesland.