Gov't puts €15 mil aside to compensate events for unused capacity

Organizers of cultural events that cannot yet take place at full capacity will soon be eligible for financial compensation for the tickets that they're not allowed to sell. The cabinet earmarked 15 million euros for this, according to documents sent to parliament.

These are events that take place indoors without fixed seats, such as concerts in pop halls. They may happen again from 25 September, but a quarter of the capacity must remain unused. A supplementary scheme will be introduced for this: a temporary financial allowance.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Healthcare Minister Hugo de Jonge announced on Tuesday evening that more will be possible with access testing later this month, also for the cultural and events sector. However, according to the sectors, the easing is not enough to be profitable. The government promised support, but the exact details of this are still unknown. According to De Jonge, that will follow "as soon as possible".