Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema urged national politicians in The Hague to consider the consequences of plans to redistribute arts and culture subsidies more widely across the Netherlands from 2029. She said Amsterdam has a major share of the country’s cultural activity and employment, and warned that regional distribution should not erode the city’s cultural labour market. Amsterdam accounts for about a quarter of the Dutch arts and culture sector, with 31,000 jobs representing roughly 10% of employment in the city, according to the account. Halsema also said the sector was important to both Amsterdam and the country as a whole.

Halsema acknowledged concerns among museums about falling visitor numbers, but said the recently increased tourist tax could not yet be responsible because it had not been introduced. She also warned against political influence over artistic programming, saying cultural institutions should remain places for experimentation and debate while being sufficiently secure to receive audiences. A new coalition is expected to make many tens of millions of euros available to the sector in the coming years, but how the money will be allocated remains undecided.