Jehlička: If I don't get more money for culture, I will resign

Prague - If the Ministry of Culture does not receive more money for its budget, its head Václav Jehlička (KDU-ČSL) would resign from his position. "I did not come as a liquidation minister," the Minister of Culture said today on the Sunday Party on Prima television. However, Jehlička believes that he will secure additional funding for culture.
    In the proposed budget for next year, the government plans to spend 6.7 billion crowns on culture, which is about 1.2 billion crowns less than this year. If the House of Representatives passes the government proposal in this form, the realization of several significant cultural events in the field of live arts could be endangered.
    This month, the government coalition parties will address the situation in culture, and the coalition nine will meet. If Jehlička does not secure more funds for his department, he wants to leave the ministry, as he claims he would no longer have anything to do there. He reminded that at the time of his appointment to the government, he announced that he would strive for more money for his office.
    Jehlička's predecessor Vítězslav Jandák (ČSSD) stated that culture is constantly being pushed to the background. He believes that the ODS would prefer to abolish the Ministry of Culture. However, Jehlička rejected this.
    Concerns about the lack of funds allocated for culture in the coming years have already been expressed by several associations of artists and cultural workers - the Council of Artistic Communities, the Association of Symphony Orchestras and Choirs of the Czech Republic, the Initiative for Culture, and the Union of Librarians and Information Workers of the Czech Republic. They fear reductions in the cultural budget due to public finance reforms.