The Plateia Association of Performing Arts Professionals criticized this Thursday the General State Budget proposal for 2025 (OE2025), regretting what it considers a lack of sufficient funds for the development of the cultural sector.
In a statement released this Thursday, Plateia highlighted that “funds for the arts show a very slight growth” compared to the previous year, and it is surprising “that none of the 25 measures presented by this ministry on the eve of the delivery of the proposal that the OE clarify on the reinforcement or diversification of the performing arts financing programs of the [Direção-Geral das Artes]”.
“Nor do we find in the government proposal any measure that promotes good labor practices and combats precariousness, particularly in public institutions, nor references to the Statute of Professionals in the Area of Culture, which needs to be improved. The social fragility that we face during the pandemic and that is now widely recognized will not be resolved without concrete investments in the necessary changes,” warned the association that brings together more than 300 professionals in the sector.
The Court also regretted “the contributions and non-execution of the budget in the field of culture”, which it describes as “hidden cuts”, pointing out that “of the 518.3 million euros provided for in the 2024 OE, the current government “It is estimated that only 475.7 million of these will be spent.”
Despite celebrating the increase in funding for the Ministry of Culture in 2025, Plateia cited the current Government’s program to affirm that achieving the proposed objectives can only be achieved through “a true quantitative and qualitative leap in cultural policies.”
“It is possible to go further, and it is necessary, given the low base from which we started”write the members of the association, highlighting: “The State Budget for 2025 does not provide for sufficient funds to guarantee the development of the country’s artistic fabric and the good continuity of cultural creation, dissemination and participation activities.”
In 2025, the Ministry of Culture will have a total consolidated expenditure allocation of 597.3 million euros, an amount 80 million higher than the allocation approved for 2024 for entities in the sector.
According to the OE2025 proposal, “the Culture Budget Program shows, in the budget for 2025, a total consolidated expenditure allocation of 597.3 million euros”, with “an effective consolidated expenditure of 593.1 million euros”.
In the map of amounts of funds subject to fundraising in each budget program, the Ministry of Culture presents a total of 36,659 million euros, a similar amount to last year (about 40 million).
Source: Observadora
