The elections have taken place, but there is still no new government. D66 and CDA have begun negotiations for a new coalition, and will later look at which parties can join.
Everything is still up in the air. No coalition agreements have been put on paper yet, so parties are receiving wish lists from all sides, each with the same message: include this in your agreements.
Students
The Dutch Student Union (LSVb) is doing the same. The student union, which understands that it needs to be short and to the point, is sending only four requests. They are calling for a higher basic student grant, 0 percent interest on student loans, housing allowance for student rooms and, finally, the abolition of the ‘binding’ study recommendation for first-year students.
This way, the idea goes, politicians can address students’ financial problems while also reducing the pressure to perform. Each of the four requests comes with a brief explanation.
Universities
Universities of the Netherlands is approaching the issue from a different angle. Universities are not only important for economic growth and innovation, but also play a crucial role in all politically significant issues. UNL lists the following: affordable healthcare, the teacher shortage, climate change, geopolitical developments, biodiversity, questions of strategic autonomy, nitrogen policy and the energy transition.
The umbrella association argues that universities are essential here, because they educate the people who can tackle these challenges and their research provides the insights needed to do so. To spend one percent of GDP on R&D, an additional annual investment of 2.6 billion euros would be required. “Not just in universities, but also in universities of applied sciences, TO2 institutes and research facilities”, UNL writes.
The Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences will also be writing such a letter, a spokesperson says, but it hasn’t been completed yet. Since each interest group is choosing its own angle, that letter will undoubtedly place greater emphasis on the importance of high-quality vocational education and practice-oriented research for the Netherlands as a whole, and for the prosperity of the regional economy in particular.
The Education Council
The Education Council has also put its thoughts on paper. This council of experts offers both requested and unsolicited advice on education, so why shouldn’t it do the same for the parties that are trying to form a new government? This short letter likewise emphasises the ‘broad benefits’ of education and the contribution education makes to a ‘resilient society’.
Cutting the education budget, as the Schoof cabinet is doing, is not a good idea in the council’s view. “These cutbacks drew strong criticism, not only from within the education sector but also beyond it. And that is not without reason.”
The council: “The wide societal value of high-quality education for everyone, along with its contribution to economic growth, prosperity, democracy, equal opportunity, security, health, citizenship and social cohesion, fully justifies robust public funding.”
SER
The Social and Economic Council, where employers, employees and experts discuss the economy and society together, has also written a letter. It addresses issues such as pensions and labour migration, but also “space for knowledge and entrepreneurship”.
Creating that space calls for a strong business climate and a focus on labour productivity, “including through investments in research and innovation”. One of the recommendations: “Increase public and private investment in R&D and reverse the cuts to education and research.”
The opposition in the House of Representatives was keen to point out to the PVV–VVD–NSC–BBB cabinet that even the business community opposed the cuts to education and research. The governing parties never had a strong answer to that.
The media
For the first time, all major Dutch media organisations have also jointly sent such a letter. They say they are worried about the dominant position of tech companies. These pose “a serious threat to democratic resilience, as well as to strategic autonomy and consequently the national security of the Netherlands”, the letter states.
One of the solutions: involving the media in the development of AI. “There is a lot of investment in AI, and the Netherlands wants to be a front-runner in this field, but news provision and its crucial role in the AI ecosystem is not currently an integral part of those plans”, they state. “Involve the media sector explicitly. And ensure that policy enables media to contribute to new AI technology.”