Dutch government plans €3.5bn annual civil service cuts by 2035

The Dutch government plans to cut €900 million from the central government administration in 2027, rising to €3.5 billion a year from 2035, as part of a drive to make the state simpler, more efficient and smaller. The cuts are expected to reduce the civil service by about 25,000 full-time-equivalent posts over several years, the government says.

State Secretary Eric van der Burg set out the proposals in a letter to parliament. Police and defence are among the services excluded from the cuts, while the reductions will not fall equally across all parts of government. The government says the detailed savings will be set out in the spring budget review.

The plan combines savings with changes to public services and government operations. The government aims to remove or simplify at least 500 rules a year, introduce a check on new rules and examine whether ministries should have to show that existing rules remain necessary. It is also considering whether some rules could automatically expire.

For public services, the government wants people and businesses to deal with the state through a more joined-up system. It says government organisations should share data more smoothly, so people do not have to submit information the state already holds. A legal framework for sharing data to support proactive services is to be developed within two years.

Other proposals include reducing the number of permanent advisory bodies, currently 28, and advisory committees, estimated at about 150. The government also plans to cut the roughly 400 policy evaluations carried out each year. It aims for one workplace for every two civil servants and says it will set out targets and savings plans for using artificial intelligence to improve productivity in the first quarter of 2027.

The government says a multi-year plan for the future of the civil service will follow within six months, drawing on recommendations from the Commission on the Future of the Civil Service. The details of how the savings will be achieved have yet to be set out.