Junior agriculture minister Henk Bleeker’s decision not to flood the Hedwige polder in Zeeland has angered the Belgians, according to press reports.

The Belgians say the decision will cost them €250m for a new dike and in delays to the improvement of access to Antwerp port.
Flooding the Hedwige polder was part of an agreement signed between the two countries in 2008 for the deepening of the Westerschelde estuary to allow larger ships into Antwerp port. In exchange, both countries agreed to flood reclaimed land to create new nature for that lost in the estuary.
Both countries agreed to flood the Hedwige polder which straddles the border, but the Dutch government faced fierce opposition from the Zeelanders.
On Friday, Bleeker announced he had found an alternative in the Schorer and Welzinge polders to the east of Flushing.
The Belgians say they expect the Dutch to honour the agreement. Bleeker says he will visit Belgium soon to explain the decision.