The Ministry of Culture redistributes 172,710 euros to Liepāja municipality to ensure the operation of Liepāja Theater

On 8 June, at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture (MoC), the government decided to redistribute 172,710 euros between MoC budget programs to reduce the negative consequences of the Covid-19 restriction and ensure the continuation of Liepaja City Council capital company Liepaja Theater in 2021. Support for state theaters and concert organizations The Ministry of Culture will refer it to one of the next government meetings. –

“Liepāja Theater is an important part of our cultural space. During a pandemic, support must be provided to the entire cultural sector, regardless of legal status. The Ministry of Culture has created and implemented a number of support mechanisms for the public, private and non-governmental sectors. Thank you for close cooperation to Liepāja City Council! ” emphasized Minister of Culture Nauris Puntulis (National Union).

In order to ensure the development of clear principles and criteria that are understandable to all involved parties, this year In order to reduce the impact of Covid-19 in the KM capital companies and Liepāja Theater, the KM worked with a specially established working group, which also included theaters and concert organizations. According to the information submitted by the Liepaja Theater and the assessment of the working group, the Liepaja Theater needs funding in the amount of 172,710 euros to ensure business continuity this year.

It has already been reported that Liepāja Theater is the only professional theater whose legal status is local government and not a state capital company, therefore neither last year nor this year it is possible to directly allocate funding to the theater from the Ministry of Culture.

The government also decided to redistribute 20,236 euros between the budget programs of the Ministry of Culture in order to ensure the involvement of experts from the Latvian Association for the Cooperation of People with Special Needs SUSTENTO in the evaluation of projects submitted under the State Culture Capital Fund (SCCF) target program “CultureElpa”. One of the priorities in this target program was to develop cultural offerings or to adapt existing cultural offerings, including digital cultural offerings, to people with special needs (visual, hearing, perceptual and mobility impairments).

The Saeima will still have to decide on the redistribution of the mentioned funding.

CONTEXT:

In July 2020, the director of Liepāja Theater announced – If the state does not financially support the theater, which is legally a municipal capital company, as well as all other large state theaters, the Liepāja theater may have to close down in October. Liepāja Theater, as a municipal capital company, could not apply for state funding to prevent the consequences of Covid-19.

September 1 Liepāja municipality promised to take responsibility on financing the Liepaja Theater. On October 15, Liepāja City Council, considering the amendments to the municipal budget, will continue the work of Liepāja Theater allocated 250 thousand euros.

The management of Liepāja Theater has indicated that it would like to place the capital company under the auspices of the state. Position of the Municipality and the Ministry of Culture not so unambiguous.

In response to the negative consequences of the Covid-19 crisis on the sustainability of Liepāja Theater, as well as to find a common solution for the management and financing of regional professional theaters of national significance, promoting cooperation between the state and local governments, by order of the Minister of Culture a working group has been set up.

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