We meet several days after the presentation of Culture in an Open Society, which outlines Minister of Culture Ingrid van Engelshoven’s vision of cultural policy. It is a publication that every Dutch minister for culture makes at the beginning of his or her administration. The cultural world is pleased with the arrival of this particular D66 (Social-Liberal Democratic Party) Minister. After years of austerity, the investment tap has once again been turned on. In addition, throughout the document she writes ‘on behalf of the cabinet’, indicating that her vision is shared by the rest of the government. Combined with her emphasis on the intrinsic value of art, few in the sector could be more delighted with her. The question then is: how does she view the role of culture in society? What does she think of the Cultural Policy Act? And how does she envision Dutch cultural policy to be 25 years from now?

‘I don't want to make a statement about the effectiveness of the law after five months in office,’ she says. ‘What I find particularly important is that in the current Cultural Policy Act, the responsibility of the national government is well-anchored. Of course, there are constant discussions about what that means, also depending on the prevailing political spectrum and the Zeitgeist of the times.’ One such discussion topic is the duration of Basic Infrastructure funding. The Council for Culture recently proposed stretching this from four to six years. ‘I can quite imagine this from the cultural standpoint, but it would mean putting politics aside for six years,’ she says, ‘whereas I think politics should be able to keep pace with our rapidly changing society.’ Additionally, the Minister does not want to make exceptions for iconic cultural institutions like the Rijksmuseum. After all, fixing the budget also comes at the expense of the system's flexibility. Perhaps the policy cycle should be even shorter, so that there is room for interim adjustments and so that young, up-and-coming makers have a chance within the system.

Nevertheless, Van Engelshoven is not in favour of substantially changing the system. The current law provides a sufficiently solid basis and an adequate degree of certainty.