Call to the government: We don't want to concrete the Czech Republic!

The Association of Professional Theatres of the Czech Republic, through the ITI - Czech Centre of the International Theatre Institute, has joined the public appeal to the government to distribute the National Reconstruction Fund.

We request approval of the financial framework of CZK 8.233 billion, which was proposed by the Ministry of Culture in the National Recovery Plan.

Dear Prime Minister, Dear Ministers,

Soon you will decide how to distribute more than 180 billion crowns from the National Reconstruction Fund. About what the future of the Czech Republic will look like.

We, representatives of the cultural and creative sector, ask you to approve the financial framework of CZK 8.233 billion proposed by the Ministry of Culture in the National Recovery Plan.

Do not repeat the mistakes of many previous governments, which ranked culture last and underfunded it for a long time. Culture is still far from reaching the promised 1% of the state budget, and since 2006 it has been cumulatively underfunded by 150 billion crowns. It was not included at all in the EU React package and its impact on the Structural Funds has so far been negligible.

Now you have a chance to make the Czech Republic more creative and cultural. And that is if you support comprehensive financing of this promising sector. It is precisely the synergy of commercial cultural and creative industries and non-profit culture that is key. For example, the film, advertising and gaming industries cannot do without artists – actors, designers or musicians. Only by supporting the entire ecosystem can these sectors function well in the long term, develop their potential and bring innovations.

The money you direct into it from the National Recovery Plan will return to Czech society many times over.

It is a good investment from an economic point of view - the cultural and creative sector generates 5.3% of GDP in the EU, which is many times more than the expenditure directed towards it. It creates 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. Filmmakers, designers, musicians, artists, writers and many creators in other fields have managed to make our country visible worldwide. This has, among other things, positive economic impacts.

And above all, it is an investment in the quality of life. Culture and creativity are fundamental values ​​without which no modern democratic society can function. They are a source of innovation, a driver of digitalization and an ambassador of sustainability, which are the main goals of the National Recovery Plan. They increase the level of education and thus the future competitiveness of our country. And – in the words of Václav Havel – they contribute to the cultivation of the world and human relationships.

For all of this, it is important and beneficial to support culture and the creative industries now. Especially when they are among the hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis and are losing billions of crowns in each month of tough government measures.

Now you have a unique opportunity to really kick-start the long-overlooked cultural and creative sector in the Czech Republic.

Make the right decision and support the proposal of the Ministry of Culture. Invest more than 8 billion crowns in culture and creativity. It will pay off.