Brussels cultural spending cuts less drastic than first thought

Brussels’ major cultural institutions La Monnaie, Bozar and the National Orchestra will not face as many spending cuts as first announced, thanks to an intervention by federal minister Didier Reynders (MR), who convinced the federal government to make a "cultural exception".

The announcement that the capital’s three most important federally funded institutions would be hard-hit by budget cuts caused uproar among those affected as well as several politicians.

Reynders, whose portfolio includes federal cultural institutions, stepped up to request a softer approach for the cultural sector, so that the savings they will have to make in 2015 only weigh half as heavy as originally proposed.

"The three cultural institutions should not have to save on personnel costs," stated Reynders. "For La Monnaie and the National Orchestra, that accounts for about three-quarters of their budget. The savings will come from operating costs, and not 20%, but 15% less. In total, the institutions will have to save 2.7 million, instead of 5.1 million.”