Meerjaren

Meerjaren is a Dutch term used to describe something that extends over multiple years. It is most commonly seen as part of compounds such as meerjarenraming, meerjarenbegroting, en meerjarenplan. The concept indicates that a project, budget, or policy is planned and financed over several years rather than in a single year.

In the Dutch public sector, meerjarenraming provides a long-term forecast of revenues and expenditures across typically three to five years, and serves as a basis for annual budgets. A meerjarenplan outlines objectives, activities, and resource needs over the same multi-year horizon and is used to coordinate investments, maintenance, and reform programs. The aim of using a meerjaren perspective is to promote financial houdbaarheid (financial sustainability), policy coherence, and better prioritization of scarce resources.

Outside government, the term also appears in corporate and organisational planning to describe multi-year funding, capital investments, or strategic programs that span several years. The exact horizon can vary by organization, but the overarching purpose remains to align long-term objectives with anticipated resource availability and risks.

See also: meerjarenbegroting, meerjarenraming, meerjarenplan, lange termijnplanning.