Govt plans €230.86m support for art, culture, physical activity

The government has outlined a support package for cultural, art, and physical activity, as well as for the event-production industry, said an official press release on Wednesday.

The package will help culture, art, physical activity, and the event-production industry recover from the damage wrought by the pandemic.

The aim is to support content producers and to create conditions for organisers to generate work in the sector and provide people with opportunities to participate in events when society opens up.

The overall package amounts to EUR 230.86 million and will be included in the second supplementary budget proposal. The supplementary budget proposal will be submitted to parliament on 29 April.

The financial package takes into account the plurality of the sector and the different forms of work, such as gig workers, self-employed workers, sole entrepreneurs, freelancers, and those operating under company names. Altogether EUR 127.36 million of the resources will be allocated to culture and art, EUR 18.5 million to physical activity, and EUR 85 million to the even- production industry.

Both culture and art will receive grants and subsidies awarded to those operating in the cultural industry. The appropriations will be allocated widely to various fields of art and culture. Around half of the package, EUR 64.8 million, would be allocated in the form of grants to professionals in the industry and as subsidies to sole entrepreneurs and those operating under company names. The funds would be distributed by the Arts Promotion Centre (Taike).

The Ministry of Education and Culture would allocate a total of EUR 15 million to independent corporations in different fields of arts, EUR 20 million to national art institutions and theatres, orchestras, and museums that are granted central government transfers, and EUR 10.5 million to operators of limited companies with a turnover of less than EUR 150,000 that organise cultural events and festivals, summer theatres, and religious summer services, organised as non-profit activities.

Altogether EUR 85 million will be reserved for an event guarantee. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is currently preparing a government proposal for an event guarantee.

Event organisers and their subcontractors could apply for an event guarantee from the State Treasury. The guarantee would be an advance payment commitment given to event organisers for the costs they declare. If an event had to be cancelled or its size restricted by law or by orders of an authority, compensation would be paid for 85% of the actual costs incurred. The guarantee would apply to events cancelled between 1 June and 31 December 2021.