New Amsterdam Univ. funding angers VVD

Amsterdam alderman Pieter Hilhorst (Finances) came under fire at the municipal council on Thursday because of his lack of clarity on how a new university in Amsterdam will be paid for by the board of directors. The new university will be set up by TU Delft, University of Wageningen and the prestigious MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in America. For the new university, Hilhorst wanted to use money which might come, but is not available yet. He has to arrange the financing of around €30 million now because the mayor will be traveling to the US to close the deal with MIT.

The municipal council reacted furiously on the proposition. Coalition party VVD pointed out that this would lead to an accountant's note in the yearly account. "This matter is really bizarre." D66 thinks that the alderman's actions are "not sound." The CDA is asking why Hilhorst didn't just admit when he was wrong. Hilhorst reacted saying that it was just transmitting a political wish to the new municipal council. To this, the opposition said that the entire decision was excessive. Hilhorst himself admits that the entire performance wasn't pretty. The municipal council does want the third university to come. In the end, the problem was solved by taking the money for the university from an existing fund.