UvA writes off more than one million euros of Crea debt
A new agreement between the UvA and Crea appears to bring an end to the financial difficulties facing the university’s cultural centre. The housing debt will be written off and the annual subsidy increased. “We have made clear and forward-looking agreements.”
After years of struggling with financial problems, the unrest surrounding Crea’s finances now appears to be coming to an end. The Executive Board of the UvA has presented the cultural centre with a proposal for a new cooperation agreement, under which the remaining housing debt of €1,265,061, accumulated by Crea during the coronavirus period, will be written off. In addition, the annual subsidy Crea receives from the UvA will be increased and indexed. For the year 2025, an additional subsidy of €552,000 would also be granted retroactively.
There is, however, a trade-off: Crea will lose a significant amount of space. The building rented by the cultural centre consists of a rear building with offices and course rooms, and a front building housing student organisations such as the Asva and the CSR. Under the proposal currently on the table, one floor of the front building as well as the office space on the ground floor of the rear building would no longer belong to Crea, but would instead be made available for other users. Responsibility for housing the student organisations in the front building will be transferred to Student Services.
Sustainably secured
The new agreement with the UvA could hardly come at a better time for Crea. As early as 2024, director Dennis van Galen raised concerns in Folia. “Take staff costs alone: in 2023, salaries increased by nine per cent due to a new collective labour agreement. That increase is not reflected in any way in a higher budget for Crea. But above all, it is the housing costs – rent, Facility Services and energy – that have caused expenses to rise enormously,” he said at the time.
For Van Galen, the fact that a future-proof plan is finally on the table is therefore welcome news. “I am pleased that our collaboration with the UvA has once again been sustainably secured. For us at Crea, this means the continuation of our established place within the UvA community, and the opportunity to look ahead with inspiration. A clear foundation has been created on which to continue building Crea’s role as an accessible cultural meeting place where creativity, reflection and social engagement come together.”
Speaking about the financial concerns of recent years, Van Galen says: “For many cultural organisations – including Crea – recent years have been marked by complex financial and organisational challenges. In that context, I am pleased that the UvA and Crea have now jointly made clear and forward-looking agreements that provide stability for the years ahead.”
