Open letter from the Minister of Culture

Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek sent an open letter to theater management. He calls for patience in a difficult situation. He looks forward to returning to theater auditoriums.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues from diverse cultural sectors,

none of us are happy with the situation we find ourselves in. "Well, I was still alive," is sung in a beautiful song by Jiří Suchý and Jiří Šlitr. It's a war protest song, but it's still on my mind during today's coronavirus pandemic, in which we have reduced life to going to work and, at most, to some testing site.

COVID-19 has been ruling us for a year now and will continue to limit us for some time to come. Culture is one of the most affected sectors, many creators have no way to reach their audience, many of them are mixing poverty with need. And it is only a small consolation that a similar situation prevails in most countries around us.

There was no other way. The government had to implement numerous restrictions last year, which in recent weeks have escalated to restricting free movement. We are facing more infectious and dangerous mutations of the disease, and the priority is to prevent the collapse of the healthcare system.

When I joined the Ministry of Culture, I had many goals and plans to move forward with. A person thinks, life changes. Now it is crucial to save the essence. My task in these difficult times is to help the widest possible range of people in culture, especially when they cannot fully devote themselves to their mission. Culture must survive, not only in large cities, but also in the regions. Being a theater artist, musician or gallery owner outside Prague has always required modesty and dedication to one's profession. But now it is directly about supporting oneself and one's family.

That is why we have launched several programs financed from the state budget since the outbreak of the epidemic. Right in April of last year, we began to help non-profit professional live arts with a so-called rescue package of one billion crowns. It was intended for all of you who are regular recipients of subsidies, and therefore we know you well. This year, the Cultural Activities program was also increased to 664 million crowns. The state support program for professional theaters, symphony orchestras, and choirs was even increased to 700 million. In the recent amendment to the State Budget Act, an additional 500 million were allocated to the Ministry of Culture, which we will distribute in the near future to support both live arts and publicly accessible monuments, museums, and galleries. In addition to a significant increase in funds for non-profit cultural organizations, we have also significantly relaxed the conditions for drawing subsidies - compared to previous years, it is now possible to use the subsidy to cover operating costs (wage costs, rent), as well as an event that could not be fully implemented due to the epidemic, but costs were incurred for its preparation, contractual obligations, etc. We recommend that these funds also be used to ensure regular testing for COVID-19 in all cultural institutions.

In addition to helping non-profit culture, last year, together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, we prepared the COVID - Culture subsidy program for private companies and individuals doing business in culture. For the first two calls, we received 900 million crowns from the government. For the third call (for companies in the performing arts and self-employed), we received 800 million. We did not forget about filmmakers, cinemas and others. In February of this year, the State Cinematography Fund therefore announced a separate call for audiovisual media, for which 200 million crowns have been allocated. It will consist of two parts: the first intends to help companies (including productions and cinemas), the second self-employed.

At this moment, the 3rd call for this subsidy program has also been announced, so far for self-employed persons, who will receive an amount of 60,000 crowns for February and March, as was the case in the last quarter of last year. I am glad that, in addition to the performing arts, we have managed to expand the support to professions in the field of fine arts, literature and audiovisual, compared to the autumn call. In order not to have to wait for the notification of this part of the call by the European Commission, which would significantly extend the time for payment of the contribution to applicants, we have agreed with the Office for the Protection of Competition that we will follow the path of so-called de minimis support (small-scale support). Applicants will only sign a new declaration of honor that they have not received more than 200,000 euros in the form of subsidies under the de minimis regime in the last three years and that nothing will stand in the way of payment. The administration of the 3rd call for the COVID – Culture subsidy program for self-employed persons has again fallen to the Ministry of Culture. The money will be paid directly to individual applicants by the Ministry of Industry and Trade based on the evaluation of applications. This was also the case in the autumn.

After announcing our call for self-employed persons, the Parliament also approved the so-called compensation bonus, which will be paid by the Ministry of Finance. I recommend that new applicants for a contribution under the 3rd COVID - Culture call in particular study the conditions of the compensation bonus and choose whether to apply with us or with the Ministry of Finance. As before, these two types of support cannot be combined. However, it is possible to apply for nursing allowance for persons caring for children who cannot currently attend kindergarten or school at the same time.

We have agreed with applicants from the field of companies engaged in culture on the form of the 3rd call, which will be announced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade this month, and applicants will thus receive significant support for the months of January to April of this year.

In parallel, we are negotiating with the Ministry of Health about the relaxation of measures, which could begin as soon as the epidemic situation becomes more favorable. According to the latest information, the relaxation process should again take place on the basis of the well-known anti-epidemic system (PES). However, we would like to add the rules of operation for summer stages there. Of course, we are also addressing the conditions for holding summer festivals with the Ministry of Health. This logically involves testing event visitors. Pilot projects where this regime could be tested could include concerts by the Czech Philharmonic or the Prague Spring festival.

The current hygiene measures have also had a hard time on the operators of non-state, but publicly accessible monuments, galleries and museums. We are preparing a new subsidy program for them, which will contribute to the necessary operating costs. We will have several hundred million crowns allocated for this. We will announce the call in a matter of weeks.

When I lobby the government and parliament for the needs of culture, I repeatedly remind them that the cultural and creative sector generates 5.3% of GDP in the European Union, which is many times more than the expenditure directed towards it. It provides jobs, products and services with high added value, attracts tourists and foreign investors, and contributes to regional development. It is also an investment in the international image of the Czech Republic. If we have been talked about abroad in recent years, it has been not only thanks to the concerts of the Czech Philharmonic and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, but also thanks to the Oscar nomination for the film Daughter or the video game Beat Saber. That is why the Ministry of Culture is actively involved in negotiations on the National Recovery Plan, within the framework of which we are demanding several billion crowns for the cultural and creative sectors. The first money, if approved by the government and then the EU, could flow to the Czech Republic as early as this year.

Dear colleagues,

I don't want to end with numbers, but with a deep and sincere thank you. The virus did not bring culture to its knees - mainly thanks to imaginative creators who did not sit idly by and kept moving even without a claim to a fee. They recorded, filmed and streamed, and remarkable works of literature, art and music were created. Every time I came across an original project, I was strengthened in my belief that together we will overcome the infection, end the paralysis and return our lives to the tracks where they belong.

Massive testing is underway, vaccinations are underway, new drugs have seen the light of day. The most important thing is not to give up. I beg you all, let's not give up. The reward for our patience will be applause and public recognition not only for what has been created during the corona crisis, but also for the very fact that we are still here and have the will to continue to reach out and entertain people.

I keep my fingers crossed for you and for me and wish everyone good health in the coming months,

PhDr. Lubomír Zaorálek, Minister of Culture