The parliamentary committee wants to reduce the amount allocated for the library

Prague - Only 50 million crowns may be allocated in the Ministry of Culture's budget for next year for the construction of the new National Library (NK), even though the original government proposal estimated around 219 million. The reduction was proposed today by the parliamentary committee for culture, which wants to transfer the saved funds to a program for the preservation of architectural heritage, namely the restoration of monuments.
    Next week, the recommendation of the cultural committee will be evaluated by the budget committee, and the lower house will make a definitive decision on it and the entire state budget at its upcoming session.
    MP Petr Pleva (ODS) proposed to transfer the entire 219 million for the restoration of monuments and thus completely cut the funding for the new library for next year. However, the committee did not approve this. Instead, with the votes of eight of the twelve present, a compromise proposal by Michaela Šojdrová (KDU-ČSL) was accepted, which retains 50 million for the new building. According to Šojdrová, this preserves a certain perspective.
    Pleva reminded that the budget for the next few years anticipates a total of 1.77 billion crowns for the construction. He believes this is an entirely virtual figure, as it is already clear that costs will reach at least three to four billion. He fears it would consume all investment expenditures of the Ministry of Culture in the coming years, especially when there is no money to save crumbling historical monuments. "There simply won't be money for anything," he warned.
    According to him, it would be wise to consider waiting on the construction of the new building and temporarily expanding the depositaries. Supporters of the new library point out that the capacity of Klementinum, the current seat of the NK, is already insufficient and a collapse is imminent.
    The vice-chairman of the cultural committee and former Minister of Culture Vítězslav Jandák (ČSSD) today, in connection with concerns that the new library will be too expensive, mentioned the efforts of Mayor and ODS vice-chairman Pavel Bém to bring the Olympics to Prague. This would entail expenditures in the hundreds of billions, Jandák noted, and advised the Civic Democrats to influence Bém in this regard or perhaps give him "something to calm him down."
    The competition for the new library project in Prague's Letná was won by Jan Kaplický's design. His "octopus" has been the subject of controversy from the beginning, with many supporters and opponents, and its fate remains unclear. ODS city councilors criticized it, citing uncertainties surrounding the land. Some critics question the legitimacy of the architectural competition. However, iDnes reported, citing an unnamed source, that the relevant committee of lawyers concluded that the competition was indeed legitimate.
    In the draft state budget, the construction of the library is currently one part of the "Support for the Care of the National Cultural Heritage" program. This also includes the restoration of the National Museum, the reconstruction of Klementinum, and many other activities. Altogether, this program anticipates 777 million crowns for 2008, of which 219 million is intended to initiate the construction of the new library. However, as stated in today's remarks by Deputy Minister of Culture Antonín Tesařík, the Ministry of Culture currently has only about 130 million secured from the mentioned 777 million.