Culture Ministry announces raft of support measures for cultural operators

The Ministry of Culture has announced the adoption of a raft of measures designed to support the resumption of activity in the field of culture, including the reopening of cultural facilities, preparation for approval of financial aid schemes and expansion of a plan to support the entire sector in 2021.

"In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely affected the Romanian cultural sector, the Ministry of Culture has prepared a raft of measures designed to support the resumption of the activity of cultural operators and, implicitly, the restart of cultural offers for the general public. (...) Reopening cultural facilities represents a first step forward toward restarting cultural activities, taking into account the acceleration of the COVID-19 vaccination process in Romania," reads a Ministry of Culture press statement released on Monday.

The Ministry of Culture says that it has initiated discussions with the Ministry of Health and other relevant ministries on terms and conditions and drawing up a concrete schedule that would offer predictability to cultural operators.

"More than ever, the cultural sector needs perspective and predictability. A constructive dialogue, based on epidemiological reality and conducted with health professionals, will help us overcome this difficult period and move towards normalcy," Culture Minister Bogdan Gheorghiu is quoted as saying in the statement.

According to the statement, the Ministry of Culture has centralised and analysed the proposals submitted last year and put forth a financial support package designed to restart the cultural activity of approximately 5,700 beneficiaries. Among the measures there are a de minimis aid scheme, another state aid scheme that includes four types of grants, allowances /furlough pay amounting to 4,072 lei for all artists and cultural workers, micro-grants, working capital and investment capital, deferring bank loan repayments.