The Cultural Policy Act (Wet op het specifiek cultuurbeleid, 1993) was considered a milestone in the legal basis of Dutch cultural policy.[1] It regulates the subsidies based on cultural policy decisions and enables the Minister to create funds to finance the arts and culture. Part of the funds can be allocated directly by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (for consecutive four-year periods) to uphold the national basic infrastructure. Furthermore, it regulates the government’s option of issuing subsidies to provinces and municipalities. As dictated by the Cultural Policy Act, subsidy decisions are based on advice by the national Council for Culture. The Minister or Secretary of Culture, however, makes the final decisions. Deviations from the advice need to be substantiated as a consequence of the General Administrative Law Act. As a rule, the Minister or Secretary follows the advice by the Council.
(See for recent developments 1.1, 1.2.2 and 2.1; See for broadcasting and its regulation chapter 1.2.2 and 2.1)
[1] Edwin van Meerkerk and Quirijn Lennert van den Hoogen (eds.) Cultural Policy in the Polder. 25 years Dutch Cultural Policy Act. Amsterdam University Press / Boekman Foundation 2018.
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