Manifesto calls for the participation of the cultural sector in the Portugal 2030 public consultation – Observer
A civic manifesto on the partnership agreement – Portugal 2030 was launched as an appeal for the participation of cultural agents in the public consultation, warning that “an area of culture is deficient” in that document, the promoter told Lusa agency this Monday.
The Portugal 2030 aims to define how the country will use European funds in the next years 2021-2027, which will be the basis of the agreement established between the Portuguese Government and the European Commission, is under consultation until 30 November.
“The arts and culture known from abroad”, pointed out Francisco Cipriano, specialist in the area of funds, responsible for launching the manifesto already launched as an alert on social networks, where he appeals to the general public, but to cultural agents, to participate in the public consultation with ideas and proposals.
On November 15, Planning Minister Nelson de Souza announced that the Portugal 2030 partnership agreement provides 23 million euros in funds made available.
The proposal was approved that week by the Council of Ministers, marking the beginning of the public consultation process, which takes place over two weeks.
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As he has been following this process, Francisco Cipriano noted that “the area of culture is one of the most deficient” in the document, and, for that reason, he decided to act on its online site entitled “Laboratory”, with a set of recommendations and a guide.
This manifesto arises because it is the right time to call attention to cultural agents, in order to participate in this public consultation, following my recommendations or others, which are considered important. If they do not participate, this deficient presence of culture in the program will not change”, warned the expert.
Without manifesto, available online, Francisco Cipriano has included ten recommendations and five-step reports for participation in the public consultation, which is available until the end of November.
“The submission of comments is done only through ConsultaLex, and by filling out the respective questionnaire which can be found online, and it is easier to fill in what people think”, he commented.
Francisco Cipriano reiterates that “it is necessary to respond to the public consultation”, otherwise “the same will happen as when the Recovery and Resilience Plan was presented [PRR], where the areas of the sea and culture were initially forgotten and then included”.
“It is important for everyone to participate to improve this partnership agreement and make Portugal a more competitive and intelligent country, greener, more connected, more social and more cohesive and closer to citizens, but that includes culture, such as the arts and the cultural and creative agents”, he defends.
For the specialist, “the presence of culture in the PRR is not enough, because it is a program focused above all on overcoming reforms, very centered on the State machine, and which, in the case of culture, will contribute to making works in cultural spaces such as theaters and monuments, but there is a lack of complementary measures, to support creation, production and editing, so that these places come to life”, and “this is where Portugal 2030 funds can enter”.
The manifesto recalls that the agreement “Portugal 2020, and the respective operational programs that comprise it, was the first and only European programming instrument in history [de Portugal] in the European Funds that did not have exclusive measures for the cultural and creative sector“, and therefore recommends that this experience is now reversed.
Other recommendations point to the articulation of Portugal 2030 with the PRR, the financing of arts and culture triggered directly by the sector, capitalization and expansion of the experience of the Garantir Cultura program, proposing more investment in the sector in creation, editing and programming measures.
There is also the suggestion that cultural companies are recognized as more fragile, deserving special treatment in public policies.
The financial envelope within the scope of PT2030 announced by the Government amounts to 23 million euros, distributed among five European funds: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with 11.5 million euros, European Social Fund + (ESF +), with 7.5 billion euros, Cohesion Fund with 3.4 billion euros, European Fund for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (EMFF) with 0.4 billion euros and Fund for a Just Transition (FTJ), with 0.2 billion euros.