From the EEA and Norway Grants, 870 million crowns will go to support culture

Prague - Approximately 870 million Czech crowns will go to support culture in the next three years from the EEA and Norway Funds. This amount includes co-financing from the state budget of 15 percent. A total of six calls will be announced, which will support about a hundred projects. This was stated today at a press conference by representatives of the Ministry of Finance, which is facilitating the program. As an example of a supported project, they mentioned the establishment of a memorial to the victims of the Romani Holocaust in Lety near Písek.

"More than half of the funds during this period are directed towards the restoration of cultural monuments. We do not forget contemporary art, artistic criticism, and support for professional associations and platforms," said Deputy Minister of Finance Lenka Dupáková.

Several larger projects will be supported in the protection and restoration of cultural heritage with a maximum grant of 1.5 million euros (38 million crowns). This call will be announced in the second quarter of this year.

Two calls will focus on contemporary art, supporting projects with grants ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 euros (1.3 to 5.2 million crowns). This is to support original artistic creation and its presentation in performing arts (theater, dance and movement arts, new circus, classical and contemporary music) and visual arts (fine arts including architecture and design, traditional and contemporary crafts).

In contemporary art projects, emphasis will be placed on supporting cultural expressions of minorities, the issue of inclusion will be addressed, including making culture accessible, for example to the Romani minority. "Support for cultural heritage of minorities and activities focused on inclusion will be emphasized in the relevant calls and directly supported through the establishment of a memorial to the victims of the Romani Holocaust in Lety near Písek," added Jan Hrdlička from the Ministry of Culture.

Norwegian Ambassador Robert Kvile mentioned the restoration of the St. Wenceslas Rotunda in Malá Strana, Prague, as an example of successful projects over the last 15 years. "Additionally, there is the digital restoration of Czech film heritage including the film Three Nuts for Cinderella, which is very popular in Norway. Or, for example, cooperation projects between the Wallachian Open Air Museum and the Maihaugen Museum in Lillehammer in the field of folk architecture and folklore," added Kvile.

Czech Republic will receive approximately five billion crowns from the EEA and Norway Funds in the third programming period until 2024. The largest share will go to the Environment and Research programs, each receiving 18 percent. This is followed by Culture (17 percent), Human Rights (11 percent), and Health (eight percent).

Through the EEA and Norway Funds, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway contribute to reducing economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and strengthen cooperation with 15 European countries. Recipients of financial support are countries in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe.

The Czech Republic has been a recipient of these funds since 2004, when it joined the European Union and thus the European Economic Area (EEA). In the first and second programming periods, about six billion crowns came to the Czech Republic. Currently, the Czech Republic is the fifth largest recipient, following Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria.