Politics
Music policy and interests
3 August 2026 – Court: Suno AI music platform infringes copyright
The AI music generator Suno has been found liable in the legal case brought against the US company by the German copyright organisation GEMA. The Munich court ruled that Suno infringes the relevant US and German copyright laws. GEMA has thus secured a significant victory in its legal battle against Suno. One ruling does not yet constitute a European framework, but this is certainly a development to keep a close eye on. Read more: Court: Suno AI music platform infringes copyright – Kunstenbond
July 2026 – Council for Culture AI report: Artistic over artificial
The government must act as quickly as possible to introduce a content levy for providers of generative AI. This is one of the key recommendations made by the Council for Culture in its report *Artistic over Artificial*, published this week and presented to Minister Letschert. According to the Council, AI is not a neutral technology, but is largely built upon the work of creators, often without their consent or remuneration. The advice is partly based on the AI survey and the research carried out by De Creatieve Coalitie in collaboration with the Boekman Foundation. Many members of Nieuw Geneco contributed to this by completing the survey, distributing it and sharing insights from their own experience. Thank you for that! These insights are now on the national government’s agenda. Download the report here: Artistic over artificial
10 June Committee Debate on Culture | Written debate
The subject of this debate is the policy letter from Ministers Letschert and Tielen. The House received a response to that letter from Kunsten ’92, in which we expressed our appreciation for the Minister’s focus on talent development and artistic freedom. Her three-pronged approach – autonomous art, social engagement and the economic value of the cultural and creative sector – is also positive. At the same time, however, we find that the financial section lacks the resources needed to give these ambitions a boost. The Creative Coalition has sent a joint letter to Minister Letschert setting out six key priorities for this government to place working people at the heart of policy. From Fair Pay and the position of the self-employed to generative AI, talent development and artistic freedom: in the letter, we call on the government to make clear choices in favour of creators.
Read the letter from Kunsten92 here.
Read the letter from the Creative Coalition here.
May 2026 – Self-employed workers take note: House of Representatives approves legal presumption for hourly rates of €38 or less
The House of Representatives has approved a bill that makes it easier to establish that a relationship constitutes employment rather than self-employment where rates are €38 per hour or lower. This is particularly relevant for self-employed workers with a weak negotiating position. The law increases the pressure on clients not to systematically contract work at rates below this threshold. It is therefore an important step. In the run-up to the debate, Nieuw Geneco, De Creatieve Coalitie and the Kunstenbond drew attention to the precarious position of many self-employed people in the cultural and creative sectors.
7 May 2026 – OCW Policy Brief
The OCW Policy Letter entitled ‘The Government invests in knowledge, basic skills, creativity and critical thinking’: From talent development and artistic freedom to the triad of autonomous art, social engagement and the economic value of our sector. Much attention is devoted to collaboration with local authorities (provinces and municipalities), civil society organisations and, of course, the sector itself. The letter can be read as a guide for these parties. As the cultural and creative sector, we are actively taking this guide on board. We are doing so by drawing on the points of reference offered by the topics mentioned. Click HERE for the full analysis of the OCW policy letter and reflections on the other letters.
May 2026 – The Fair Practice Guide for applications
When writing a grant application, it can be quite tricky to translate ‘fair practice’ clearly and concretely into your plan and budget. Kunsten ’92, Platform ACCT and nine cultural funds have developed the Fair Practice Guide for this purpose: a digital tool that helps you apply the Fair Practice Code in a concrete way within your application, with tips, suggestions and explanations of what funds consider important. Whether you’re just starting out or have applied for grants before, the guide helps you not only to identify fair practice but also to put it into concrete terms. The guide is available at fairpracticegids.nl.
April 2026 – Boekman Culture Monitor
The Boekman Foundation presented the latest edition of the Culture Monitor: a comprehensive overview of figures, trends and developments in the cultural sector. You can find the report specifically on the music sector here: Music – Culture Monitor.
30 April 2026 – Learn to Lobby in a Day
Creative Coalition presents the (digital) book: Learn to Lobby in a Day. In the print edition (or free download), you’ll find information, a step-by-step guide and practical examples, so that you can lobby like a professional in your local authority.
February 2026 – Buma Stemra and New Music NOW present a musical mandate
Rianne Letschert, the new Minister for Education, Culture and Science, received a musical mandate on the day of her swearing-in. The mandate is a musical interpretation of the coalition agreement ‘Aan de slag’, specially composed by Camiel Jansen, Composer of the Netherlands. Camiel Jansen collaborated on this with the Maat Saxophone Quartet and the singer Hanneke Last. The initiative for the mandate came from BumaStemra and New Music NOW. With this composition, we aim to mark the start of the new government with a musical moment and demonstrate how music can bring people together.
February 2026
In the coalition agreement *Aan de slag* (*Getting Started*), the CDA, D66 and VVD emphasise their commitment to independent journalism, the safety of journalists and artistic freedom. Despite these ambitions, there is no additional funding for the arts and culture, and public service broadcasting is cutting its budget by 100 million euros. Nieuw Geneco has highlighted the following points relevant to composers:
1. No additional investment in the arts and culture
• On balance, there will be no additional funding for the arts and culture.
• Creators (including composers) will receive no structural investment in fees, development or fair pay.
• However, there are additional policy expectations without the corresponding funding.
2. Cuts to public service broadcasting
• On balance, a cut of approximately 100–106 million euros remains in place.
• Public service broadcasting is a crucial commissioner and purchaser of new music, composition commissions, recordings and performances.
• A smaller budget means fewer commissions, lower fees and reduced visibility for contemporary music.
3. Deterioration in social security
• The reduction in unemployment benefit duration from 2 to 1 year and stricter eligibility criteria affect composers who are (periodically) in paid employment.
• A reduction in the maximum daily wage and the abolition of the IVA for new cases will increase income insecurity in an already unpredictable professional environment.
4. Self-employment policy and increased administrative burdens
• The VBAR is being replaced by a new Self-Employment Act
• The statutory presumption of employment status for earnings below approximately €37 per hour affects composers working on low-paid or project-based
• Increased structural costs via income tax (‘freedom contribution’).
• Higher employer contributions (Aof contribution) put indirect pressure on rates and commissions.
• Effect: less room for negotiation and pressure on rates that are already under strain.
5. Artistic freedom and VAT
• Positive: artistic freedom is explicitly recognised.
• Positive: the low VAT rate for art and culture is retained.
• These points offer protection, but do not resolve issues relating to income or commissions.
6. Community Fund (200 million euros)
• Potential opportunities for projects focusing on social cohesion and community engagement, provided that composers are explicitly included.
7. Political scope
• The coalition does not have a parliamentary majority: there is scope for adjustments.
• A joint lobbying effort by professional associations is necessary and promising.
21 January 2026
Nieuw Geneco was questioned about the Performing Arts Fund as part of the evaluation process. During this, we engaged in discussions with the external researchers from BMG; is the Fund doing the right things, and is it doing them well?
29 December 2025 – coalition letter
On behalf of Nieuw Geneco, among others, De Creatieve Coalitie is calling on political parties to place social resilience, a policy supporting creators and a fair cultural labour market at the heart of the new coalition agreement. In a joint coalition letter, on behalf of over 40,000 cultural professionals, De Creatieve Coalitie is calling for concrete decisions that offer creators prospects for the future. The Netherlands faces major challenges. War, polarisation and the rapid rise of AI and big tech companies affect not only the economy and security, but also how we live together. Art, culture and a free media help people to share stories, remain critical and understand one another.
> Value the work of creators
More than 300,000 people work in the cultural and creative sector. Half of them are self-employed creators. They produce music, theatre, film, journalism, visual arts and design. Their work has great social value, but their income and status are under pressure. Large platforms and AI systems profit from creative work, whilst creators are left with too little say and too little income.
> Time for fair agreements
In our joint policy statement, The Creative Coalition calls for:
• a media levy on major tech and streaming services;
• enforceable fair remuneration and compensation to tackle systemic underpayment;
• protection against the disruptive effects of AI;
• protection of freedom of art, the press and expression as a democratic foundation;
• labour market policies for a sector in which half of all workers are self-employed.
3 October 2025 – VAT increase scrapped
Last night, the House of Representatives approved the bill to retain the reduced VAT rate for culture, the arts, sport, news media, books and events. This means the planned VAT increase has officially been scrapped!
It was crucial that this decision was taken before the general election. If the debate had been postponed until a new House of Representatives – as was the plan – the outcome would no longer have been certain. Thanks to an initiative by the ChristenUnie, CDA, D66 and SGP, the bill was fast-tracked and put to a vote.
The Creative Coalition took the lead on this, together with the Social Allies. We have published an article on our website with further information: https://www.decreatievecoalitie.nl/nieuws/tweede-kamer-draait-btw-verhoging-terug
Together, we prevented the VAT increase of 952 million euros per year on self-employed workers (and the sector as a whole). In doing so, we carried out one of the most successful collective lobbying campaigns of the past decade. This gives us cause for optimism and self-confidence. Our voice can be heard in The Hague if we speak out together.
25 September 2025 – parliamentary majority for fair pay motion
A large majority in the House of Representatives (113 seats) has approved the motion for an inquiry tabled by Mohammed Mohandis (GroenLinks-PvdA) and Willem Koops (NSC) to potentially embed the Fair Pay guidelines more broadly. The motion calls on the government to investigate what incentives the authorities can use to
16 September 2025
“The question is not just: how many weapons do we have? The question is also: what are we actually defending?” With these words, actress Victoria Koblenko opened the meeting of the Maatschappelijke Bondgenoten at Nieuwspoort, The Hague, on Tuesday 9 September. On the initiative of, amongst others, De Creatieve Coalitie, we – together with ambassadors Malou Gorter, Babs Gons, Edwin van der Sar, Boris van der Ham and Kamran Ullah – presented our action plan for a resilient Netherlands to politicians. With the seven-point plan, in which we advocate retaining the low VAT rate on culture and fair remuneration in the creative sector, we wanted to show that resilience is about more than just tanks and drones. It also requires investment in art, culture, music, theatre, books, films, museums and architecture. The seven-point plan – and the Social Emergency Package – were presented to MPs from the VVD, Volt, GroenLinks-PvdA, ChristenUnie and BBB. There was significant media coverage: Hart van Nederland, Goedemorgen Nederland, NPO Radio 1 and various newspapers reported on it. Victoria’s monologue was even published in full in De Telegraaf.
3 June 2025 – government has fallen
The Schoof government has fallen. One way or another, this will have an impact on those working in our sector. For some initiatives, this means a standstill: solutions to problems affecting self-employed people in particular will be delayed as a result. However, the fall of the government also presents plenty of opportunities.
4 April 2025
Policy letter from Eppo Bruins (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science) on far-reaching reform of the media system
16 and 17 January 2025 – Fair Practice workshop
A two-day international workshop took place on the theme ‘Towards fair practice in terms of employment: strategies and dilemmas’, an initiative of Kunsten ’92 and Platform ACCT. The workshop was attended by representatives from cultural institutions, government bodies, universities and interest groups from the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Poland. The central question was: What does ‘fair’ mean in different contexts, and how can we create structurally better working conditions for cultural professionals?
Various themes were discussed during the sessions:
– The role of public funders in ensuring fair remuneration and job security.
– Barriers to fair pay, including the tension between creating art and the need for a stable income.
– Each country has its own system for organising social security and employment contracts; some have specific legislation for artists, others do not.
– The influence of narratives about work: is an artist a worker like any other?
November 2024. New Geneco letter to minister on Opera Zuid
New Geneco urges the minister to structurally give Opera Zuid the extra financial leeway it needs to continue fulfilling its basic function as a fully-fledged opera company. Without that, Opera Zuid risks ceasing to exist. That is not only disastrous for Opera Zuid itself and its employees, but also leads to irreparable damage to the opera and music theatre landscape in the Netherlands.
Opera Zuid fulfils an important place in the cultural system. They take responsibility for making accessible and adventurous opera for the widest possible audience. Opera Zuid takes responsibility for music composed in the Netherlands and the development of new Dutch opera repertoire. This is of undeniable importance for Dutch culture, now and in the future. Opera Zuid frequently collaborates with young composition talents from Dutch professional schools. There are many examples of successful newly composed/produced Dutch operas with which Opera Zuid made an impact on the public, toured many theatres and performed numerous school performances. Opera Zuid thus serves as an example to all bis institutions. Opera Zuid rightly received the New Geneco Fair Practice Award 2022, a broad recognition from the sector.
October 2024. Ministry of Finance examines VAT exemption
On behalf of the Ministry of Finance, Dialogic is investigating the VAT exemptions that apply to the creative arts (composers, writers, journalists, among others) for effectiveness and efficiency. New Geneco spoke to Dialogic about this. The VAT exemption is important for composers and a significant proportion of their clients.
Current VAT regime:
- Composing and copyright income are exempt from VAT.
- High rate applies to sales of sheet music.
- Music making is (still) low rate.
- Music productions (album, CD, digital file) is high rate
VAT exemption matters and benefits composers and a significant proportion of their clients.
- Exemption on composing has a market-stimulating effect / lowers the threshold for clients who are not liable for VAT (such as public authorities, music associations, choirs, hafabra, various foundations and private individuals)
- This is important partly because of the competition living composers face from the large amount of royalty-free public domain works in classical music by composers who died more than 70 years ago and, in particular, more than 400 years of music history. But also in pop and jazz, the public domain repertoire is growing with time. The availability of royalty-free AI music is also threatening the market for composing.
- Purchasing costs vary from one composer to another. Think computer, software. With few deductions, the exemption is advantageous for composers
- Purchases of goods/services (instruments, production, marketing) that relate to other activities, such as producing, making music, are charged to the relevant (VAT-compliant) activities or ancillary activities.
In short, in the imperfect market for composing new music, market stimulation / threshold reduction is of paramount importance for the profession of composers and a significant proportion of their patrons.
For composing commissioned by organisations subject to VAT, VAT would make no difference.
For the commercial market (e.g. media music), the exemption is usually not applied because usually a final production is delivered (demo, recording, digital production) at VAT high rate.
October 2024. Survey on VAT exemptions
Research firms SEO Economic Research and Dialogic are asking composers to participate in this survey. It helps to gather valuable insights and contributes to a sound evaluation. You can complete the survey at https://diadashboard.nl/ It takes about 5 minutes to complete.
All responses will be processed completely anonymously and confidentially. The data collected will only be used for research purposes and will not be shared with third parties. Should you have any preliminary questions about the survey or the study, please contact Reg Brennenraedts at onderzoekbtwvrijstellingen@dialogiconderzoek.nl.
17 September 2024. Budget Day
Subsidy decisions and parliamentary letter on BIS institutions, incl. fair pay. Prinsjesdagbrief culturele basisinfrastructuur 2025-2028 | Letter | Rijksoverheid.nl
13 September 2024. Schoof Cabinet coalition programme
Regeerprogramma kabinet-Schoof | Publication | Rijksoverheid.nl
9 September 2024. Analysis Consortium
Analysis consortium of private funders including the Culture Fund, municipalities and the arts and culture sector including Kunsten ‘92 dated 9 September 2024 on negative impact proposed government policy on arts and culture sector. Cultural sector foresees 350 million cut by pile of cuts to arts and culture – Kunsten ‘92 (kunsten92.nl)
Cabinet cuts subsidies for foreign performances, tours and exchanges for theatre-makers, musicians, designers and other artists https://www.volkskrant.nl/cultuur-media/kabinet-snijdt-in-kunstsubsidies-die-bijdragen-aan-nederlandse-diplomatie-in-het-buitenland~b21408bf/
August 2024. Don’t let musical talent stagnate
Under the slogan ‘Don’t let musical talent stagnate’, a petition was launched calling on Minister Bruins (OCW) to ‘rectify this miss’. A collaboration of National Youth Orchestras Netherlands, Princess Christina Competition, Vocal Talent Netherlands | National Choirs, Ricciotti ensemble, Dutch Violin Competition and Britten for Young Musical Talent. Please sign it especially. Sign the petition Don’t drop musical talent!
New Geneco and Composer of the Netherlands Anne-Maartje Lemereis are committed to music and education. Music is important for the creative development of every child. And talents should be able to develop further without financial barriers, following a professional education or practice. Education and talent development deserve a structural place in the cultural system. The flaw must be repaired!
Broad coalition opposes proposed VAT increase
With a broad coalition from the world of culture, sports, hospitality, books and media, we are taking joint action against proposed VAT increase. Take action – No higher VAT!
Music and theatre companies risk being left out of the game
Support the action ‘Don’t let the curtain fall’ and speak out for the companies that are in danger of being left out. The Nederlandse Associatie Podiumkunsten (NAPK) will ensure that all statements of support are presented collectively in The Hague.
July 2024. Vereniging Nederlandse Gemeenten publishes handbook Fair Pay
The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) publishes a Fair Pay Handbook, in cooperation with Platform ACCT. More info: Fair pay handbook for municipalities | ‘Van schatbare waarde – Fair pay in the local creative and cultural sector’ | July 2024 | VNG and fairPACCT / Platform ACCT – fairPACCT
31 July 2024. Reactions Kunsten ‘92
Kunsten92 responds to the Coalition Agreement and BIS Council for Culture advice and subsidy decisions of the national culture funds. https://www.kunsten92.nl/brieven-aan-minister-bruins-van-ocw/
3 July 2024. Advice from the Council for Culture and the Performing Arts Fund
Both the central government and the national funds (including the Performing Arts Fund and the Cultural Participation Fund) published this summer their allocations and rejections for the 2025-2028 multiannual grants.
April 15, 2024. Bill to amend Copyright Contracts Law submitted to the House of Representatives
On April 15, 2024, a bill was submitted to the House of Representatives, called the ‘Copyright Contracts Law Strengthening Act’. This proposal aims to make changes to the rules surrounding copyright contracts. The goal is to improve the position of creators and performing artists. An important part of the proposal is that transfers of copyright must now be done in writing. It is also proposed to add a sentence to article 25c of the Copyright Act, stating that the remuneration resulting from negotiations between creators and exploiters is presumed to be fair.
More information about this bill, you can find it via this link. (in Dutch)
April 11, 2024. Platform ACCT
Platform ACCT is committed to improving the position of workers in the cultural and creative sector. In their research program ‘In the Mix’, the platform, together with Cultuur+Ondernemen and voordekunst, explores achieving a diverse and suitable financing mix for cultural and creative entrepreneurs. The financing trajectory of about ten creators has been followed, and four meetings have been held in this program. Three important themes emerged from this, indicating areas in need of improvement:
- Information provision: for creators, it is a challenge to find suitable financing options for their specific financing needs. How can information provision about different financing forms and their suitability be made more accessible?
- 100% financing: how can we stimulate stacking through better coordination and referral, making it easier to achieve 100% financing?
- Increasing the financing capacity (‘the pie’ or ‘the pot’) of the entire sector. This officially lies outside the scope of the In the Mix program. However, because better coordination and referral on this theme can also lead to improvement, we mention it here nonetheless.
For more information about the ‘In the Mix’ program, you can find it via this link.
April 5, 2024. Council for Culture explains advice ‘Access to Culture’ in the House of Representatives
On Friday, April 5, 2024, a special meeting took place in the House of Representatives, where the Council for Culture gave a presentation on the advice titled ‘Access to Culture: Towards a New System in 2029’. This request for a meeting was submitted by Martine van der Velde, member of the House of Representatives for the PVV. Click here to watch the meeting of April 5.
February 28, 2024. Creative coalition visits Frans Timmermans, faction leader of GroenLinks/PVDA, and Member of Parliament Lisa Westerveld.
Nieuw Geneco is part of the Creative Coalition, which is committed to all workers in the cultural and creative sector. On February 28, 2024, the coalition met with Frans Timmermans, the faction leader of GroenLinks-PvdA, and Member of Parliament Lisa Westerveld, where four important points were discussed:
- Prevent the cultural and creative sector from being used as a symbol in the political arena to interpret the election results. Culture and creativity are neither left nor right, but for everyone. It is the responsibility of the entire political spectrum to work towards a stronger and fairer sector.
- Ensure that Members of Parliament with other portfolios also pay attention to the needs of workers in our sector. Think of portfolios such as finance, economic affairs, justice & security, digital affairs, and social affairs & employment.
- Focus on the existential security, fair payment, and earning capacity of workers and ensure that additional investments in the subsidized sector also benefit workers.
- Add the sector’s labor market policy to the knowledge agenda of the Education, Culture and Science Committee. This means that this theme becomes a priority on the agenda of the House of Representatives Committee.
Faction leader Timmermans listened attentively and promised to act on these points. Meanwhile, labor market policy has been registered as a priority with the Education, Culture and Science Committee.
November 2, 2023. Schemes for zzp’ers
Don’t leave money lying around; there are subsidies for your bread fund/pensions, disability insurance and other schemes.
Self-insured scheme
The Self-insured scheme encourages zzp’ers in the cultural and creative sector to insure themselves against disability. zelfverzekerd.oogvoorimpuls.nl
Zekere Zaak regeling
The Zekere Zaak scheme encourages organizations in the cultural and creative sector to employ zzp’ers on a permanent basis. zekerezaak.oogvoorimpuls.nl
Nu voor Later regeling
De Nu voor Later regeling stimulates self-employed people in the cultural and creative sector to start saving (more) for their pension. nuvoorlater.oogvoorimpuls.nl
Zzpp’ers and clients in the cultural and creative sector can now submit an application until July 1, 2024 (or as long as the budget lasts). This will encourage even more self-employed individuals and organizations in the cultural and creative sector to strengthen their business and professional practice. Go to oogvoorimpuls.nl to submit an application.
Contribution in development plan and training
PPO finances development plans and training for everyone working in the creative or cultural sector. Both for employees and freelancers. PPO finances 1/3 of the total costs of your development plan with a maximum of € 2,000 (including VAT). We assume that your employer or client also contributes 1/3 and that you pay the remaining amount yourself. Tools for Development – PPO Werktuig voor Ontwikkeling – PPO (werktuigppo.nl)
October 17, 2023. Sector covenant on fair practice, fair share, fair chain
Platform ACCT is working on a sector covenant between employers/clients and employees/contractors. This should give concrete substance to the fair pay aspect of the Fair Practice Code. On the commissioning side, the Creative Coalition is at the table, also on behalf of New Geneco. On the other side of the table are the employers’ organizations, including the Federation of Culture. The goal is to have the covenant ready in the second quarter of 2024.
Sept. 19, 2023. Council for Culture commits to fundamental revision of cultural system
By the end of 2023, the Council for Culture will advise on the intended renewal of the cultural system from 2029. In addition, the council will prepare the assessment of subsidy applications for the basic cultural infrastructure (BIS) in the period 2025-2028. The council is also issuing advice – in the Memorial Year of the Slavery Past – on dealing with colonial archives. This is contained in the work program for 2023-2024 published today.
July 2023.
After three years of consultation, the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) group of EU Member
States ’experts published a final report on the status and working conditions of artists and cultural
and creative professionals. The report generally advocates for a better position of creators and
artists and includes interesting information about various national initiatives on a) artist status and social security, b) fair practice, c) skills and lifelong learning and d) artistic freedom.
Feb 8, 2022. New culture system (BIS)
State Minister Uslu is preparing for the Basis Infra Structure (BIS) 2025-2028 procedure. Wednesday 8 February saw a kick-off meeting on a new culture system to eventually replace the current BIS legislation. The Creative Coalition attended this on behalf of creators, together with a cross-section of BIS institutions. In March, state secretary Uslu will submit a request for advice to the Council for Culture on the future of the system.
There will be a letter before the summer with the principles and policy frameworks for the design of the next subsidy period. There will also be a letter about the process for and follow-up steps towards strengthening the labour market position of workers within the cultural and creative sector. The letter will include the outcomes and experiences of the impulse schemes and the chain tables. Research on fair pay is also planned this spring.
7 February 2022. Collective bargaining for self-employed
Self-emplyed can negotiate collectively without violating competition rules, that is the main message of the cartel watchdog ACM in their new guideline tariff agreements zzp. With the guideline, the ACM translates European policy. This confirms more firmly that it is allowed to make collective agreements for self-employed workers in the cultural and creative sector. This step is another in a process of years of lobbying and litigation on this issue. Read more in the publication ACM.
31 January 2022. Culture Monitor
On 31 January, the Boekman Foundation presented the annual 2022 Culture Monitor report. It shows that about half of technicians and self-employed people in support positions have left the cultural sector.
November 21, 2022. Extra money for culture
From next spring, around €400 million extra will be structurally allocated to schools and government-funded cultural institutions. With this money, higher costs due to inflation and especially rising energy bills can be absorbed. The cabinet announced this on 21 November in the Autumn Memorandum sent to parliament.
14 November 2022. Culture legislative consultation and vote on motions
On Monday 14 November, the Tweede Kamer held the legislative consultation on culture with State Secretary Uslu. During the consultation, there were some relevant motions. Groen Links asks the cabinet to make the Fair Practice Code compulsory as a condition of the new round of cultural subsidies. This motion was adopted by a majority. A motion by the SP asking the cabinet to ensure that tech giants and audio streaming services make a fair contribution to the income position of creators. This motion was held. Another SP motion on taking action in the short term to legally curb profiteering in ticket resale. This motion was adopted. And a motion by the Partij van de Dieren asking the government to investigate how concrete steps can be taken to make cultural institutions and activities more sustainable. This motion was adopted.
Contribution for self-employed: Eye for Impulse
Many self-employed or hybrid workers in the creative and cultural sector have no insurance or other provision for missing out on income due to illness or disability. The Oog voor Impuls programme offers self-employed or hybrid workers in the cultural and creative sector a temporary contribution towards the cost of an AOV or bread fund.The contribution consists of a one-off incentive of €125 and reimbursement of 50% of the monthly costs (with a maximum of €50 per month) for up to 12 months. The scheme is currently valid until December 2023 (with retroactive effect from 1 June 2022). Read more on the website or apply immediately at www.oogvoorimpuls.nl.
1 October 2022. European Collective Bargaining Directive
On 29 September 2022, the European Commission published a European guideline allowing self-employed persons to (finally) negotiate their rates collectively. This guideline underpins the possibility previously given by the ACM to collectively negotiate working conditions for certain self-employed persons. This is therefore an important step towards improving the negotiating position of self-employed workers in the cultural and creative sector, as well as a major lobbying success.
20 September 2022. Prinsjesdag & Culture budget
170 million euros more will go to the cultural and creative sector from next year. Of the extra 170 million euros from the coalition agreement, state secretary Uslu wants to reserve 66 million euros to improve the position of creators and workers. This amount was previously announced in the coalition agreement and is now finally included in the Budget Memorandum. The State Secretary for Culture and Media will announce exactly where the money will go in the October letter. The decision on extending the scheme will also come then. The debate on the culture budget will follow on 14 November. The Cultural and Creative Sector Taskforce had sent a letter just before Prinsjesdag calling for more financial support.
19 September 2022. Corona update
Autumn has begun: vaccination is on again, infections are rising, but it is not yet a problem with this Omikron variant. However, there is every reason to be critical, as the government is not well prepared for other scenarios. This was also the concern of the Tweede Kamer in the debate, and that of expert Jolande Sap of the Social Impact Team (MIT) during the technical briefing prior to the debate. She mentioned six points, and one of those six criticisms is the lack of a plan to deal with people in vulnerable flexible employment relationships such as self-employed workers.
16 September 2022. Fair practice and the Council for Culture
The Council for Culture presented its work programme 2023. The labour market situation for creators and other workers in the sector has been on the agenda for years, that bottleneck needs to be addressed now, so the Council states. There will be a new advisory report on the cultural labour market. The Council will also hold monitoring interviews with BIS institutions. The application of the Fair Practice Code is one of the topics.
The Rekenkamer (Court of Audit), the institute that audits the annual reports of all ministries, will also pay attention to OC&W’s Fair Practice policy this year. Interviews will be held with members of the Creative Coalition. The Court of Auditors will report in May 2023.
14 September 2022. Energy
There is considerable lobbying over compensation for the increased energy costs in the cultural sector, including a focus on self-employed workers. Read the parliamentary questions on the impact of rising gas prices on the cultural and creative sector by GroenLinks and D66 here. Venues sound the alarm. During the General Political Review, energy costs were also the topic, the Chamber passed several motions, including one to compensate culture. A scheme forgemoetkoming Energierekening (TEK) is being worked on, and a separate scheme for public sectors is being discussed. The Cultural and Creative Sector Taskforce is actively intervening in this lobby conducted with OCW, EZK and BZK. At the Financial Considerations, energy is also the subject of debate. It involves billions in additional compensation. Minister Kaag’s note on the motions and political agreements can be found here.
July 5, 2022. Kunstenbond sues the Dutch state.
Kunstenbond is holding the Dutch state liable for the losses suffered by self-employed workers in the cultural and creative sector due to a lack of emergency support during the corona pandemic.
If the cabinet does not come up with a proposal to compensate these self-employed workers within 28 days, the Kunstenbond will take the state to court.
We know that countless composers and other self-employed people from our constituency have been hit hard by the coronagraphic measures due to the lack of support. Are you one of them? Then report your missed income here: https://kunstenbond.nl/klaagtaan/
The Arts Union’s action is supported by nine zzpers, including composer Vanessa Lann. New Geneco and The Creative Coalition wholeheartedly endorse the action and hope for an early solution for all affected zzpers. See also article in the Volkskrant.
April 7, 2022. Recovery plan for EU fund
The government sent a first draft of the Dutch Recovery and Resilience Plan to the House of Representatives on March 28, 2022. The Netherlands is not investing the recommended 2% of European corona recovery money in the hard-hit cultural sector.
Self-employed suffer in draft Dutch recovery plan
Europe’s objectives for the Netherlands are to limit the social effects of the crisis and to stimulate adequate social protection for the self-employed and tackle false self-employment. As a measure, the cabinet especially hits self-employed through the far-reaching cut in the tax deductions for self-employed, agreed in the Rutte IV cabinet.
April 7, 2022. Coronasteun now
In view of the pending debate on the fifth aid package, the Creative Coalition and the Taskforce continues to argue for corona compensation (safety net regulation) for working people. In addition, we are trying to get and keep culture on the agenda in municipalities. Parties are currently negotiating for new councils now that the results of the municipal elections have been determined.
March 6, 2022. Ukraine
The music sector takes action for those affected by the war. On March 6, Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova and Russian cellist Maya Fridman will organize Concert for Peace, a benefit concert for the victims of the war in Ukraine at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Together with musical friends such as percussionist Konstantyn Napolov, violinist Liza Ferschtman and viola player Dana Zemtsov, they will perform. Involved New Geneco composers are Martin Fondse, Maxim Shalygin, Christiaan Richter. Shalygin conducts Svyatoslav Lunyov. All proceeds from the concert will benefit the cooperating aid organizations under Giro555. Please donate. You can listen to the NPORadio4 broadcast of the Concert for Peace.
In addition to these, there are many fundraisers, demonstrations and benefit concerts with composers, musicians. Special how many composers and cultural actions give support to individual thinkers and artists.
March 20, 2022. Cultural policy in the municipal elections?
The results of the municipal elections show that the local parties are gaining substantially, but what this means for culture differs per municipality. Of the national parties, the progressive parties won on balance from the conservative parties. The final council formation, which can become quite complicated due to the increasing number of parties in the councils (the trend is smaller groups and more parties, just like in the Tweede Kamer), will have to show whether the progressive gains can be converted into better policies for culture.
March 10, 2022. Debate on the fifth aid package
Minister Adriaansens and State Secretary Uslu debated the fifth support package for the cultural and creative sector, the Guarantee Scheme for Events and the Evaluation of Fieldlabs with the Lower House on March 10. The most important commitment was to supplement the budget of supplementary scheme 3: many more applications (120 million) than were available (66.5 million), which meant that the compensation could be reduced or halved. All applications can now be processed and, once approved, paid out in full. The conditions will not change and bottlenecks in the supplementary schemes and the guarantee scheme will not be resolved for the time being. The debate was also about the self-employed again: practically all parliamentary parties asked for attention to this (and had read our task force letter carefully). Uslu responded as follows: “In the coalition agreement that is a point of attention: the strengthening of the labor market position of the self-employed. There are already developments in that area with the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment. What I want to do is to look at the possibilities with the sector as an ally, the task force, and see how that position can be strengthened in any case. But a safety net arrangement from OCW cannot actually be organized very quickly. That is actually not feasible. So that’s another exercise that we’ll be looking into in the near future.” Furthermore, the support to the municipalities was also discussed: a letter about this will follow. A decision about the possible extension of the cultural budget period will follow in June; that decision will be included in the letter about the recovery plan. Finally, GreenLeft had already asked for a two-minute debate as a follow-up to this one, so no motions now. The two-minute debate is still being planned (no date yet). Read the report of the debate here.
March 8, 2022. Taskforce in discussion with Uslu
On March 8, the steering committee of the Task Force on Culture had a conversation with State Secretary Uslu. The Creative Coalition (CC) is part of this steering committee. One of the points the CC discussed with her was the importance of a safety net scheme, as also strongly advocated in the task force’s letter. Uslu said that she actually agrees with us, but for the safety net regulation assignments zzp sees no room for OCW alone. That answer still offers an opening to put it on the map with the cabinet. We also discussed working together more with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. As part of the recovery and coalition agreement, an additional 127 million will be invested this year, largely based on the existing plans that Minister Van Engelshoven discussed with the House last November. Uslu submitted the plans to Finance: in early June they will go to the House of Representatives with the Spring Memorandum (adjustment of current budgets).
November 30, 2021. Plans for a safety net scheme
From the Creative Coalition (45 professional associations and unions, including New Geneco) we wrote a joint letter to the second chamber. And made a proposal for a safety net, for people who are not compensated for their losses anywhere else.
The need to provide a support package for zzpers and flex workers has increased almost exponentially. We receive very many reports of cancellations, loss of work and income. The recalibrated support package, despite the words in the parliamentary debate, offers no improvement for zzp’ers and flex workers. And that is badly needed. The cultural and creative sector has identified a major social problem. The Creative Coalition therefore proposes a concrete solution: a safety net regulation for cancelled assignments.
Checklist Fair Practice in times of corona
At the initiative of Nieuw Geneco, the Creative Coalition has drawn up a checklist about what is Fair in times of Corona. You can view it here: Checklist_FP 23-7-2021
‘News from The Hague’ – september 2021
Generic support ends October 1
The cabinet has announced that the generic support measures will end October 1. The main argument is the growth of the economy, the low unemployment and the high vaccination rate resulting in increasingly abandoning the restrictive rules. Read the letter at the end of support packages-for-jobs-and-economy here
Emergency and recovery support remains necessary
Two thirds of the self-employed in the cultural and creative sector earned only half of their normal income in 2020. Many workers are left out many arrangements. The Task Force culture expects a loss of revenue of €1.5 billion for the coming season. Emergency and recovery support remain necessary, especially for the self-employed. Read the entire press release here. here.
Corona admission ticket deployed more widely
At the same time, Hugo de Jonge wants to use the corona admission ticket more widely because the “vaccination rate is too low” and thus the burden on the health care too high. New measures are expected end of Sept. See the NOS website
Culture in final report informer Hamer
Informer Hamer made a new possible coalition agreement between Rutte and Kaag public. From Hamer’s final report: support for a vibrant cultural life, events and catering; acquaintance for every child with culture and music; more security and perspective for workers on the job market. Read more hier (pdf doc).
Old News:
• Update June 4: Terraces and stages open again from 1 June
Both the terraces and the stages will open again from 1 June. In theaters and concert halls, the door is initially left ajar. No more than 30 visitors are welcome. From July 1, the door will open further and a maximum of 100 visitors can attend a concert or theater performance, provided they sit 1.5 meters apart. As a result, only about 30% of the original number of visitors fits in a room.
It is still unclear which corona measures the government and RIVM will implement from 1 September when the new season starts. It seems that the 1.5 meter distance remains an imperative condition, both on stage and in the hall. This requires a major overhaul of the seasonal program and improvisation. A lot changes for the orchestras. The orchestral musicians have to perform in smaller ensembles. Nieuw Geneco is in discussion with various orchestras to brainstorm how Dutch composers can contribute to the challenges in this new musical life.
• Update May 28: Emergency Fund Music. On 1 May, BUMA / STEMRA together with Sena launched the Emergency Music Fund. Check https://www.noodfondsmuziek.nl for more information and here you can read the letter from BUMA / STEMRA.
• Update May 25: Cultural sector starts online demonstration “Culture in action!”
• Update April 21: Meanwhile, the temporary bridging scheme for self-employed entrepreneurs (TOZO) has been elaborated in a so-called “Order in Council” (AMvB). As a result, we can now provide a conclusive answer to a number of frequently asked questions.
Note: Always check the website of your own municipality for all relevant and most current information about the TOZO application options.
• Update as of April 24: Frontier workers and state pensioners added to TOZO scheme.
At the request of the House of Representatives, border workers and state pensioners will be entitled to the TOZO. Please note: in some cases it is only about applying for a business loan and not the living allowance. So read the reports from the national government carefully.
• Emergency fund BUMA / Sena / Spotify
• Tips & To Do’s
Keep track of your BUMA registrations now. Read our tips!
• Read the fire letters and more about the promotions here
• Read the article in Het Parool of 28 April 2020: who will save the composers?
• SENA starts production fund
As a result of all corona measures, New Geneco has taken action to make politicians and cultural organizations aware of the fact that this time cannot be bridged for many of its members. Some actions that have been taken can be found on this page:
http://nieuwgeneco.nl/corona-update/
The letters are all in Dutch and not easy to translate. But the resume is that Nieuw Geneco and othere organisations are very concerned about the future of composers and musicians.
What you can do yourself:
TIPS & TO DO’S
• Get your BUMA administration in order. Keep track of your performance lists and radio-television lists over the past few years, preferably in an excel-sheet. For the performance lists it is best to keep the following headings: composer’s name, working title, publisher, Buma work number, performers, city, venue, date. For the RTV list: name composer, work title, publisher, Buma work number, performers, venue, date.
• Keep track of loss and additional costs. Keep a record of cancellations (make screenshots of cancelled performances), new agreements – in any medium and extra costs (extra rehearsals, digital version).
• Apply for TOZO and TOGS even if you do not yet fit in. Apply for emergency support if you need it. Even if you don’t meet all the conditions. Please ask for legal advice if you fear it might affect your status.
• Mail your municipality if the Tozo procedure does not work. With this standard letter you can raise the alarm at your municipality if something is wrong with the TOZO procedure. Fill in / modify.
Temporary support (Tozo) for people with temporary resident permit:
People who have a resident permit to live in the Netherlands and meet the criteria of the Tozo scheme, are entitled to apply for financial support. City districts are not required to report people with temporary residence permits who apply for the Tozo to the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). Applying for other forms of financial assistance can have an impact on residence status, both for people with a residence permit and for EU citizens. The IND will currently be lenient to people whose residence permits expire (and who are not applying for an extension) and for EU citizens who are temporarily unable to return to their home country due to the current situation.
Therefore, if you have a temporary Dutch resident permit, including one for self-employment, you can apply for Tozo support without worrying about negative consequences concerning your resident status.
English info:
De Kunstenbond – English Corona page
The National Government – Corona page
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2020/04/10/tk-pdv-52676-antwoorden-kamervragen-tozo (point 45 and 46).