Dutch cultural sector protests lack of political attention

Media mogul Joop van den Ende and various cultural representatives have expressed significant concern regarding the lack of attention given to arts and culture in recent Dutch political discussions. Following the King's Throne Speech and the General Political Debates, Van den Ende published a full-page advertisement in Volkskrant stating, “Rich in money. Poor in imagination,” arguing that culture is the “soul of our society” rather than a secondary concern.

While the total cultural budget is set to increase by 26 million euros, De Creatieve Coalitie reports that this increase fails to offset inflation. They calculate a 0.9 percent decrease in the actual purchasing power of the cultural budget for 2027 compared to 2026. Additionally, the coalition highlighted economic challenges for self-employed individuals in the sector, noting particularly bleak outlooks for freelancers without children.

Despite the criticism, the government decided to maintain the VAT exemption for composers, a measure that had been under consideration. Cultural leaders, including Arjan Duijn of Zwolle theaters and Sam Brown of the Nederlandse Reisopera, noted that while the sector is economically important, it was entirely omitted from the King's 2,889-word speech, which focused instead on nitrogen, migration, and housing.