Here we provide a summary of the most pronounced points. You can watch the entire debate yourself or read the article in de Volkskrant and NRC.

In the Paradisodebat, the “ravine year” 2026 is explained (at 17:42 in the debate), this is the year in which the build-up of the municipal and provincial fund is disconnected from the expenditure of the national government and is linked to the gross national product. As for now expected, this would be a major drain on the budget that can be spent by the municipality and provinces. For the time being, there is talk of a deficit of 2 billion. The budgets for 2026 are also currently being prepared with restraint because of this uncertainty. Kunsten’92 pleads for a statutory anchoring of cultural tasks for municipalities and provinces.

In addition, Kunsten’92 calculated that, converted to euros, the bureaucracy of the cultural sector has cost about 100 million. This is writing reports, reviews and checking applications all on behalf of the government. This calls for a revision of the cultural field that has fewer hierarchies and less checking up on each other.

Martijn van der Steen (endowed professor of Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam) emphasized that we must change from the hierarchical system to a horizontal system (the common). So that the bureaucratic burden can be reduced and more money is left for the cultural sector. In addition, he emphasizes that language is an important starting point, you are jointly responsible for culture, you can have different roles, but in the end you are jointly responsible. We can only emphasize this, we want to increase solidarity and create better working conditions together.

Throughout the debate, the region was emphasized, the money must be better distributed. But here too Martijn van der Steen emphasized that if the cake (which is already too small) has to be divided over more parties, this cake will have to grow first.

We would also like to add that the makers/artists/cultural workers should take up more space in these debates, supervisory boards and round table discussions to show that our input can be of added value everywhere.

Invited on the table: Hans Biesheuvel (ONL for Entrepreneurs), Jolanda Spoel (Bijlmer Parktheater and member of the Akademie van Kunsten), Peter Drenth (deputy for culture Gelderland | CDA), Soraya Groznik (The Movement Roermond), Hein Kuiken (alderman for the municipality Leeuwarden | PvdA), Lucien Kembel (LKCA), Martijn van der Steen (Deputy director of the Nederlandse School voor Openbaar Bestuur (NSOB) and endowed professor Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam), Robert Vroegindeweij (Music School Zeeland), Jorien Wuite (spokesperson for culture Tweede Kamer| D66), Jan Jaap Knol (Boekmanstichting) and co-chairs of Kunsten’92, Anne Breure and Jeroen Bartelse. With inspiration from the Droominee.