Budget cuts kill off Dutch cultural institute in Paris

The Dutch cultural institute in Paris, the Institut Neerlandais, is to close at the end of this year because its budget is being withdrawn, the foreign affairs ministry confirmed on Friday.

The closure of the institute, the most important outlet for Dutch culture in France, was first announced last year.

A ministry spokesman told NRC it might be possible for a ‘small cultural department’ at the embassy to work together with experts to promote the Dutch creative and cultural sector in France.

A similar move has already been made in Berlin and London, the paper said.

The institute opened in 1957 and became known for its literary evenings, attended by some of the most important Dutch writers.

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