The vote on the ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences' budget in the Senate went as expected. The coalition parties voted in favour, as did the parties with whom they had struck a deal: JA21 and the three Christian parties. The senior citizens’ party 50Plus joined them.
The other parties voted against. The ministry's budget is “an attack on the future of our youth”, Paul van Meenen (D66) stated beforehand. “That may sound a bit harsh, but that’s what it is.”
Legal action
Several universities are heading to court due to the more than 200 million euros in cuts to starter and incentive grants. Tilburg University and Radboud University have already confirmed they will take legal action, according to a statement from the umbrella organization Universities of the Netherlands (UNL).
This is because the previous administration had signed an agreement with universities and promised additional funding. That agreement has now been broken. Maastricht University President Rianne Letschert had already stated that she no longer felt bound by the agreement for this reason.
Legality
However, UM is not yet taking legal action, spokesperson Koen Augustijn confirmed when asked. “If you want to claim damages, you have to prove them. That is a time-consuming and complex process.” However, the cases of Tilburg and Nijmegen are being followed “with great interest.” Legal action is “under consideration, in order to be prepared” if they prove to be effective. UNL President Caspar van den Berg told public broadcaster NOS on Tuesday that it is not necessary for all Dutch universities to go to court.
During the budget debate, the Senate also questioned the breaking of the agreement. Tineke Huizinga (ChristenUnie) said in a statement: “The minister has not been able to convince my faction whether the termination of the agreement could be unlawful.” Nonetheless, her party supports the budget because, in her view, the legality issue is relatively small: 200 million euros out of a total of over 50 billion euros.
Motion
The ChristenUnie did agree to a motion from the opposition, which called for the agreement to be upheld. There was little at stake: the party likely anticipated that the motion would be rejected by the other parties.
This motion aimed to sway the 'grand coalition' of JA21, CDA, SGP, and ChristenUnie, and perhaps other parties as well. They would not have to reject the entire budget, just a small part of it. The request to the government was “to fully implement the agreement for 2025 and to consult with the institutions regarding any deviations from the agreement in subsequent years.”
Actions
Opposition to the policy continues, not only in the courtroom. Students will once again demonstrate, says the National Student Union: “They are cutting the future of our children and grandchildren.” The FNV union (“A dark day for Dutch education”) draws attention to local actions and strikes, such as Tuesday in Rotterdam and Thursday in Tilburg.
There is still plenty to fight for. The government parties are often at odds with each other, and now they must agree on the Spring Memorandum, with all financial ups and downs it entails.
HOP, Bas Belleman / Peter Doorakkers