Bring on the lawsuit, says Minister of Education

The budget cuts are not unlawful or unreasonable, Bruins states in a written consultation with senators from the opposition. However, universities and universities of applied sciences can always initiate legal proceedings "if they unexpectedly see a reason to do so".

Majority
The Senate will soon consider the budget for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The plan is to cut millions of euros from higher education and research. The cabinet acknowledges that these cuts will be painful for the sector, but it does not foresee any legal problems.

The cabinet counts on a majority in the Senate because it made a deal with four parties from the opposition. 

Doubts
Even so, some have doubts about the legal tenability of these budget cuts. After all, the previous cabinet entered into a "governance agreement" that included additional funding. Expectations have been raised, particularly at universities, and the current cabinet cannot simply dismiss them.

A professor of administrative law confirmed in an expert meeting last week that this procedure has no chance of success. The financial agreements are quite solid.

A spokesperson for the association of Dutch Universities, UNL, says that universities have not yet initiated legal proceedings because they can appeal once a decision has been made. They are therefore waiting for the Senate's decision. 

Justice done
The cabinet is not worried. "We are aware that the administrative agreements made the institutions create expectations," says Bruins. But he believes the government has properly addressed those. As an example, the minister mentions the grant reductions and the incentives for first-time students, which the cabinet has scrapped. The universities were informed of this decision in September 2024, "more than three months before the new year". Bruins considers that early enough. "This has enabled them to take measures to mitigate adverse consequences."

Moreover, he says that universities have not yet entered into any financial obligations and if they have, they still have enough money to cover them. That leaves 78 million euros will be left from those grants every year, which they can then spend on those obligations.

Strong
Critics claim that the budget cuts will damage the Dutch economy, which is precisely what the cabinet is so concerned about. The cabinet does not completely dismiss this possibility but remains adamant. "Despite the austerity measures, the Netherlands remains strong in education and research: our total expenditure on research and development has been above the EU average for years", concludes the minister. 

He still supports the European goal of spending three percent of the gross domestic product on research and development. But how to do that while still implementing austerity measures? "Above all, we need more private investment," Bruins writes. In short, the business community must pay for it.