Organisation - March 24, 2010
Provincial government not turning its back on Wageningen UR
The news report in De Gelderlander -- that the provincial government will stop giving subsidies to Wageningen UR because of the high salaries of its executive board members -- is incorrect. This is disclosed by Simon Vink, spokesman for the executive board.
This is because, Vink continues, Wageningen UR does not have any subsidy from the provincial government. Wageningen UR carries out projects for the provincial government. 'But assignments are not subsidies', says Vink. He sees the motion as 'a signal' without any practical consequences.
Moreover, Vink maintains that the members of the executive board do not have to keep to the Balkenende standard. 'The standard applies to publicly financed organizations, such as Wageningen University, but not to a market-oriented organization such as DLO or a private organization such as Van Hall Larenstein.'
The States-Provincial of Gelderland moved a motion earlier this month to forbid the provincial government from giving subsidies to an institution if there are grounds to believe that it has exceeded the Balkenende standard of €181,000.