Assent Framework Letter “makes no longer sense” according to participation
The annual consent of the participation body with the so-called Framework Letter has been delayed so much that, according to the participation body, it no longer makes sense to ask for consent. The ongoing mediation process between the Central Student Council and the Executive Board is to blame for this delay.
The UvA budget process for next year is in danger of falling behind. As a result, the Central Student Council (CSR) and the Central Works Council (COR) have asked the Executive Board to postpone the moment of approval of the financial plans, the so-called Framework Letter, to the draft budget 2025. That draft budget will be presented next week.
Two issues
Two issues have cropped up in recent months in the process of determining the UvA’s financial plans and outlook. One problem arose in May when the CSR lost confidence in the Executive Board and renounced further cooperation. There is now a new chair of the board and a new CSR, but the CSR’s trust in the Executive Board has not yet been restored; a mediation process is still ongoing, which has so far prevented the joint meeting (GV) of the CSR and COR from agreeing to the Framework Letter.
The second problem is in the government’s austerity plans. These only became really clear last month and have to be incorporated into the budget. Earlier, UvA’s chief financial officer Jan Lintsen let it be known that if the austerity plans were to go ahead, the UvA would have to cut 100 million annually. The cabinet’s proposed cuts are widely opposed, but Minister Bruins of OCW has so far stood firm. This week, he announced that he understands the concerns about the cuts in higher education, but that he assumes that the universities will realize the cuts “carefully and in consultation with the participation body”. As a result of this policy, the UvA has had to adjust its financial plans. Several faculties foresee red figures for the coming years.
Trend
The whole assent process with the Framework Letter has now taken so long that the GV has decided to let the assent sit and move to the draft budget. Whether the Board will agree to this is not yet clear. In the distant past, the Executive Board decided that the participation has assent to the annual Framework Letter and then to the headlines of the budget. Now that this consent to the Framework Letter has been abandoned by the participation body, the question is whether this sets a trend for the coming years.
Supervisory Board
The UvA’s budget process has a strict timetable that is, however, put under pressure every year by extensive rounds of consultation and consent. In principle, the budget must be approved by the Supervisory Board by the end of December. Whether that time is met is tense every year - and certainly now.
