Universities have warned the Netherlands will fall further behind its competitors in research and education after finance minister Eelco Heinen announced further cuts to the sector in next year’s budget.

“This cabinet is still intent on wrecking education”, chair of teachers’ union Algemene Onderwijsbond commented as cutbacks totalling €800 million across the board are set to take effect next year.

Universities were unpleasantly surprised to find that an extra €25 million had been shaved off their budget on top of earlier cutbacks of €300 million a year.

“Investment in research and innovation is sinking towards 2% of the national income while in other countries it is 3% or more,” chair of the association of universities Universiteiten van Nederland Caspar van den Berg said.

“It is beyond belief that the cabinet keeps scrimping on innovation, which is vital for the safety, resilience and health of this country. The Council of State has said this will impact fatally on earning capacity,” he said.

Disabled organisations also had mixed feelings about the budget. Cutbacks to parts of disabled care amount to €300 million but at the same time the cabinet has set aside 250,000 for housing costs, complex care and higher rates.

Cutbacks

“If you up the rates because they do not cover the costs but also announce cutbacks, the sector will never be able to make the necessary investments, so stop this yo-yo policy and scrap the cutbacks and maintain adequate rates,” chair of the disabled care association Vereniging Gehandicaptenzorg Nederland, Theo van Uum, said.

Tenants’ watchdog Woonbond is unhappy because the cabinet is not freeing up extra money to compensate tenants for higher rents.

Now that rents will not be frozen, the projected cutback on rent allowances will be scrapped but, the Woonbond said, “many tenants don’t qualify for the allowance and those who do are only partly compensated for rents that went up by as much as 5% in 2025.” Measures to prevent rents from rising even more in 2026 are also conspicuous in their absence, the Woonbond said.

The courts in the Netherlands, which have been plagued by backlogs for years, have been allocated €155 million a year. “It is very good news that we can invest more, chair of judiciary body Raad voor de Rechtspraak Henk Naves said.

“We will have more time for hearings with parents and children in family and youth cases,’ he said. The money will also be spent on legal aid for people who cannot afford a lawyer.

Police budget

No such luck for the police force, which is not getting any extra funds to make up its budget deficit of €68 million, going on for €350 million in the next few years.

“This cabinet is not prepared to guarantee a stable police budget, and that inevitably affects the vital investment in 2,000 extra officers,” police unions warned.

NPB chair Nine Kooiman said, “The loud call for a rational budget policy was obviously not heard.

“The ball is now in the court of brand new caretaker police minister, Floor van Oosten. These things happen; all beginnings are hard. The unions take it he will make amends.”

“Missed opportunity”

Asylum and migration will be pared down to €1.9 billion in 2029, down from €9 billion, which is partly financed by shifts in the budget, or borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.

Refugee housing agency Coa, which is getting €22 million from the sustainability pot Klimaatfonds to climate-proof its buildings, is unhappy that “once again, the cabinet has not opted for stability in financing the accommodation for asylum seekers.”

A stable, long-term financial budget would enable Coa to build a fixed number of beds and better anticipate changing numbers of occupants.

Fewer asylum seekers means that freed-up places can be used for others who need temporary housing. A different way of financing and organising asylum accommodation would bring in a billion a year, Coa said. “A missed opportunity,” Coa commented.

The extra €2.6 million the government has earmarked for reducing nitrogen deposition is far from adequate when the government’s environmental assessment agency PBL has calculated that even a €21 million package would fall short, 11 environmental organisations have said. “Our environment is under pressure and this cabinet is even closing gaps in the budget made by scrapping climate measures using money from the Klimaatfonds,” they said.

Last but not least, happy faces at the Panorama Mesdag museum in The Hague, which has been given heritage status. The museum and its famous 360-degree view of Scheveningen is getting €1.8 million to shore up its creaking finances.