Dutch gov't wants to slash international student totals, and attract more global businesses

The Dutch Cabinet's formal plan for its four-year term states its intention to press forward with policy to reduce the number of international students in higher education, despite past criticism from multinational businesses based in the Netherlands. The companies have long maintained that international students and foreign workers are key to growth and expansion, and important for resolving shortages on the labor market. Regardless of the plan, the Cabinet said it has a goal of making the Netherlands one of the five most economically competitive countries in the world, with a return to a well-regarded business climate.

The Cabinet reiterated the earlier coalition agreement plans, saying it wants to tackle what it calls the "Anglicisation" of higher education. In many cases, English will not be allowed to be used as the language of instruction, "with targeted exceptions for certain programs for sectors with strategic shortages, such as in science and technology, and with a view to regional circumstances," the Cabinet said.

The Cabinet claims that six foreign students enrol in higher education in the Netherlands for every one Dutch student who enters higher education abroad. "The large influx of international diploma students puts unacceptable pressure on student housing, causes overcrowded lecture halls and high pressure on teachers. In addition, the preservation of the Dutch language at our colleges and universities is under pressure," the Cabinet claimed in its policy section on immigration.

By placing the blame for these problems on international students, and slashing their enrollment figures as a result, the Cabinet claims it will create annual savings "of up to 293 million euros." Without elaborating on where those cost-savings will come from, the Cabinet said it will move forward with a legislative proposal to force research and applied sciences universities to teach more of their courses in the Dutch language.

Academic universities will have the ability to implement a maximum capacity for some of its course trajectories. The Cabinet also wants to give them emergency powers to limit student admissions from outside the European Economic Area.

To improve business climate for international firms, the Cabinet promised to reduce regulatory pressure, and improve access to premises like the ports, industrial zones, business campuses, and knowledge hubs in cities.

"In order to allow all Dutch regions to flourish, the government has set a goal for itself of ensuring that all Dutch provinces belong to the top 30 most competitive regions in the EU by 2030, with six of them in the top ten," the Cabinet said.

It also wants to regain trust from business leaders by hosting a summit on the business climate in the Netherlands later this autumn. "We will give entrepreneurs a voice, and express our appreciation for entrepreneurship," the Cabinet claimed.