Kultura 2006: changing of ministers, still no more money

Prague - The year 2006 brought two ministers to the field of culture, major personnel changes, and above all, the realization that even matters falling under this ministry can become the subject of political negotiation. The decisive actions of Vítězslav Jandák and Martin Štěpánek, both ministers serving this year, have their critics and supporters - according to some, their interventions are seen as incompetent, while others believe they have stepped into stagnant waters that may hide many injustices. Once again, although partly as expected, it was not possible to obtain the desired one percent of the state budget for culture. Nevertheless, the coalition agreement signed on Thursday by the ODS, the Christian Democrats, and the Greens once again mentions this commitment.
During the year, however, many things were also accomplished - libraries report the drying of the last books that were flooded in the 2002 floods, the National Library is getting closer to constructing its new building in Letná, and the long-awaited reconstruction of the historic building of the National Museum is being prepared, which received the neighboring building of the former Federal Assembly for one crown for its needs.
The past 12 months also brought new laws, but the long-awaited amendment to the Cinematography Act has still not arrived. President Václav Klaus's stance in refusing to sign it has caused a sharp outcry among industry professionals. By the end of the year, at least the parliament approved a direct subsidy to the fund to support cinematography amounting to 100 million crowns; the fund had previously distributed 60 to 70 million crowns annually. However, one hundred million is only about one-fifth of the amount that the state gives annually to a single stage - the National Theatre.
The budget of the Ministry of Culture this year still did not approach one percent of the state budget, a figure that is common not only in developed Western European countries but also in some new EU member states. After the parliament added one hundred million to the culture budget at the end of 2005 following numerous appeals from the cultural community and primarily from then-MP Táňa Fišerová, this year's budget for the ministry amounted to 0.5 percent of the state budget, thus halting several years of decline.
The budget for next year is likely to remain around half a percent again. The Ministry of Culture is once again dedicating the largest share to state-funded organizations. How much will go to live art remains unclear for now. Last year's one hundred million from the parliament, which was supposed to go specifically to increase grants in the field of live art, also went to other projects.
The government decided this year to increase rewards in the field of culture. Previously, about 1.53 million crowns were spent on awards; now it is 2.9 million crowns, for instance, the prize for laureates of state awards for literature and the Minister of Culture’s award for contributions in the fields of theatre, music, visual arts, and architecture has increased - now they all receive 300,000 crowns each.
A long-prepared document, the Concept of More Effective Support for the Arts, was also approved, which is an important basis for drawing money from structural funds in the upcoming period from 2007 to 2013. The state can begin drawing money from the abolished National Property Fund (FNM) to repair cultural monuments - these funds should be primarily used for the reconstruction of the National Museum and the National Library.
The president also signed a law on public support for culture; however, unlike the original proposal, it does not introduce any instruments to support culture besides scholarships and state guarantees for loans of artworks - meaning, for example, an obligation for regions to declare their cultural policy or construction investments linked to the support of contemporary art. On the contrary, it strengthens the role of the minister towards contributing organizations.
The beginning of the year was marked by disputes over the shape of Czech state heritage care. In January, the selection process for the director of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) and the directors of its branches ended. The minister appointed theorist of heritage care Tomáš Hájek as the head of the institute, who was continually criticized by the professional community during his subsequent nine-month tenure at the helm of the institution. Heritage care struggled all year with discussions about personnel issues, but significant debates about the actual direction of the field did not take place.
In September, a new minister took office, assigning long-time heritage expert Pavel Jerie to lead the NPÚ, and a competition for a new director is to be announced in January 2007. However, the necessary amendment to the heritage law is missing, and heritage care professionals are still searching for the next form of state heritage care organization.