Making culture more accessible, fairer remuneration for cultural and creative professionals, and making more use of creative brainpower in major social issues. These are key principles of cultural policy in the coming years. The Council of Ministers has approved the Long-term Letter on Culture by State Secretary Uslu (Culture and Media). In this letter, entitled 'The power of creativity', the State Secretary explains how she intends to deploy 170 million euros from the coalition agreement for the cultural and creative sector in the coming years.
On top of the existing culture budget of 1 billion euros, the cabinet is investing 170 million euros annually in strengthening the Dutch cultural and creative sector. That money will be deployed along five lines:
Strengthen position of cultural and creative professional
A strong sector cannot exist without a healthy labour market and fair remuneration. To contribute to better remuneration, 19.1 million euros per year are available for the next two years, and from 2025, 34.1 million euros structurally. In doing so, the State Secretary sets an example for fair remuneration. She also expects the sector itself to reach fair agreements in places where this is not yet the case.
State secretary Uslu is also investing heavily in opportunities for start-up makers through the funds and through special programmes such as talent development.
Deployment creativity social issues
The transformation of the Netherlands requires our maximum brainpower. At the moment, the creativity of designers, for example, is still too little used in the major social tasks of the moment, such as energy transition. On a small scale, there are plenty of examples of fashion designers who use recycled plastic for garments, or architects who build entirely sustainably. State Secretary Uslu is therefore investing in 'design research' so that design can be used better and more widely. With this, she wants to further develop the methodologies of design-based research and encourage its application in tackling social issues.
Accessed
Culture is everywhere and belongs to everyone and should therefore be experienced and enjoyed by as many people as possible. This means that there must be high-quality offerings throughout the country and that everyone who wants to can participate in culture - especially young people. The government is investing extra in accessibility, to remove both visible and invisible barriers, and to promote diversity. Part of this includes the additional investment of an eventual €58.7 million in libraries.
Digitisation
Digitisation offers great opportunities for making and presenting art and for reaching larger and new audiences. The government is freeing up money to help makers make the most of the opportunities. For instance, by investing in infrastructure and innovation, and by stimulating knowledge sharing.
Heritage
The government considers it important to pass on the past to younger generations and to have an eye for the many, different stories about our history. That is why, for example, there is extra money for subsidy schemes to preserve monuments, with a special focus on the Caribbean part of the kingdom. State Secretary Uslu is also once again making money available for the Heritage Deal. In addition, the cabinet is contributing to a National History Museum and a National Slavery Museum.
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