Framework letter

The minister of Finance sends the ‘framework letter’ to his fellow-ministers at the end of March or the start of April. The framework letter relates to both the budget for the current year and the budget for the following year, which the government will present later that year on Prince's Day.

In order to be able to draw up the framework letter, the minister of Finance receives information from all members of the cabinet, about what they want to achieve and what they are going to do to this end. They may need more money to fulfil a given objective, for example, and less money for another objective. They may also ask for money for a new plan. Moreover, the minister of Finance considers the forecasts provided by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) about the development of the Dutch economy. The framework letter is not made public. The Council of Ministers examines the framework letter in April, before taking decisions about adjustments to the budget for the current year and about the main features of the budget for the following year.