The government’s proposed cuts to education and research will falter in the Senate, the opposition parties warn. But judging by Tuesday evening’s debate in the House of Representatives, the four ruling coalition parties do not seem overly concerned about that prospect. “For now, we are putting national security first.”

D66, CDA and JA21 say they will use their power in the Senate to halt many of the proposed government cuts in education and research. Their announcement comes as the House of Representatives gears up to debate the budget for education, science and culture.

Vocational schools and higher education institutions are set to receive a total of 81 million euros in government funding over the next two years to train more technical workers for the microchip sector – as quickly as possible. Educational institutions in the Delft region will share 9.4 million euros.