Drastic cuts for theatre in Flanders

From 1.1. 2020, the Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon, member of the right-wing nationalist party Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA), will decrease the cultural budget of Flanders by a total of 22 million Euros. Subsidies for large institutions will be cut by either 3 % or 6 %. Funding for independent projects, amateur arts and socio-cultural organisations will decrease by as much as 60 %. These adjustments come in addition to the cuts that occurred over the past years. In 2018, the total budget for independent projects was 12,145,000 Euros; from 2020, it will only be 3,392,000. Instead, the Flemish government intends to invest in cultural heritage and a new museum for Flemish history and culture.