{"id":174448,"date":"2024-12-12T11:32:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T10:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=174448"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:38","slug":"slow-progress-penalty-cancelled-but-most-budget-cuts-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/12\/12\/slow-progress-penalty-cancelled-but-most-budget-cuts-remain\/","title":{"rendered":"Slow-progress penalty cancelled, but most budget cuts remain"},"content":{"rendered":"

The cuts to education and research will largely go ahead, as confirmed by last night\u2019s agreement on the budget for Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Of the planned 2 billion euros in cuts, less than 700 million euros will be reversed.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDaan Stam<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Over recent weeks, opposition parties negotiated with the coalition over the cuts to education and research. Initially, D66 participated, but in the end, only the CDA, ChistenUnie, SGP, and JA21 remained involved.<\/p>\n

The four coalition parties (PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB) were forced to engage in talks as they lack a majority in the Senate, where the budget risked being blocked. The rest of the opposition remains firmly against the budget.<\/p>\n

The cancellation of the slow-progress penalty and the easing of cuts for international students in regions with population decline are among the concessions made. However, cuts to scientific research are being upheld almost entirely.<\/p>\n

Details of the agreement have yet to emerge, but it appears only partially successful in preserving starter grants for young researchers, with a likely reduction in cuts of 40 million euros.<\/p>\n

Student travel card<\/h2>

The final figure stands at 748 million euros, but part of this is funded internally by the OCW ministry. For instance, the student public transport card is expected to cost 75 million euros less. However, this windfall will not be reinvested in education, effectively reducing the total mitigation to 673 million euros.<\/p>\n

Additional funding will be drawn from other areas, such as the ministry of Health. Medical specialists, for example, will face higher costs for their continuing education, a move that universities argue also impacts education funding.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018This won\u2019t be a quiet spring for the cabinet\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Biggest loser<\/h2>

The universities association UNL criticised the deal, stating that scientific research remains the biggest loser. Cuts of half a billion euros to research and higher education are still on the table. \u201cThis is especially damaging for the future of the Netherlands\u201d, said chair Caspar van den Berg. \u201cKnowledge is our most important resource. Still, it\u2019s good news for our students that the slow-progress penalty has been scrapped.\u201d<\/p>\n

The national student union LSVb also welcomed the removal of what it called \u201cthat absurd slow-progress penalty\u201d but denounced the remaining cuts. \u201cThis won\u2019t be a quiet spring for the cabinet\u201d, predicted chair Abdelkader Karbache, hinting at upcoming strikes.<\/p>\n

The four opposition parties defended their decisions. \u201cWe\u2019ve made a bad budget less bad\u201d, said<\/a> Henri Bontebal (CDA). Mirjam Bikker (ChristenUnie) commented<\/a>: \u201cWe support good policy, improve proposals where possible, and this negotiating result is a fine example of that.\u201d Chris Stoffer (SGP) called the budget significantly improved.<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t