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Timeline of actions against budget cuts

The government is jeopardising the ability of the Netherlands to make progress. Budget cuts by the Schoof government are calling a halt to important scientific research. In these times especially, we desperately need science to come up with concrete solutions to complex social problems. The timeline shows how the UvA is opposing the cuts, together with the umbrella organisation Universities of the Netherlands (UNL).

Our joint protest is working

The House of Representatives has passed a motion to reduce the cuts by 800 million. That is a first step, but it’s not enough. The education budget is a sensitive matter in the Senate as well, and senators have not yet agreed to the education budget. We will therefore continue to resist the cuts being made.

Follow WOinActie

Protests are being organised by WOinActie, the Dutch Student Union LSVb and UNL, among others. Follow WOinActie to keep up to date with new demonstrations

Tijdlijn

10 June 2025 FNV, AOb and WOinAction organize another protest in The Hague.
Read more about this protest.

17 March 2025

 Strike at the UvA, part of nationwide relay strike
Read more on the largest education strike in Dutch history.

June - December 2024

Various media appearances by Caspar van den Berg, president of UNL
Van den Berg gave several interviews, including:
Universities may join protests following education budget approval (WNL, in Dutch)
President of umbrella organisation for universities: 'Education cuts lead to a drop in welfare' (Trouw, in Dutch)
Universities shocked by agreement: 'Basically means closing a single, large university' (AD, in Dutch)

26 November 2024

Manifesto: Don't do it!
UNL offered a manifesto to the House of Representatives' spokespersons for higher education: Stop the cuts to our universities.

25 November 2024

Major protest
More than 20,000 people protested on Malieveld against the cuts in higher education. UvA administrators Edith Hooge and Peter-Paul Verbeek were also present.
14 November 2024

Alternative protests after official education protest in Utrecht is cancelled
The municipality of Utrecht cancelled the official education protest because a pro-Palestinian organisation had announced it would ‘hijack’ the demonstration. The UvA organised several other forms of protest, including a collective viewing of the alternative demonstration. Rector Peter-Paul Verbeek addressed the House of Representatives.
November 2024

The UvA launches podcasts on budget cuts
The UvA launched the podcasts Budget Cuts and Beyond: What's Next for International Staff at UvA? and Austerity in 2025: What does it mean for the UvA budget?
23 October 2024

​​The business sector and UNL send open letter to the government
In an open letter to the government, VNO-NCW and UNL warned about the impact of the cuts on the economy and society.
September 2024

UNL commissions survey: what do the voters think of the science cuts?
It turns out that 69% of voters think the cuts are a bad idea. This according to research by research firm Dynata, commissioned by UNL.
September 2024

UNL campaign
UNL launched the campaign Help the Netherlands move forward. Stop the cuts to our universities and science.
Augustus 2024

Op-eds
Erik Boels, UvA finance director, wrote in the Financieel Dagblad newspaper about the disastrous consequences of the cuts for the Netherlands. In a second op-ed, he argued there should be a bonus for good students rather than the proposed increased statutory tuition fee for long-term students.