Dutch academia is facing unprecedented budget cuts. At the same time, in 2024 the government proposed legislation (Wet Internationalisering in Balans, WIB) with the aim of bringing internationalisation into balance. The current government has added the task to reduce the number of international students at Dutch universities. The Young Academy rejected this proposed legislation in earlier statements, defending a world-class academic environment in which nationality diversity is a crucial ingredient. Like The Young Academy, UNL previously opposed the WIB and the accompanying assessment of study programmes taught in a language other than Dutch (Taaltoets Anderstalig Onderwijs, TAO).
Last month, however, UNL presented a package of self-regulation measures including a proposal to discontinue English-taught psychology programmes in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Tilburg, and Leiden. These plans are ineffective and open the door to harmful political influence in the future.