Culture budget experiences greatest growth since 1980s
Finland's budget for culture has grown by 23 percent since the government of Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) took office. The growth rate is higher than at any time since the 1980s.
Next year, arts and sciences in Finland are set to get about EUR 73 million more than during the last years of the previous government.
Culture has been one of the winners of the present government term, although the ultimate increase has been rather modest. Next year, funding for culture will be 0.96 per cent of the state budget, whereas it was 0.85 per cent in the last budget of the previous government.
One of the factors behind the increase in state funding for culture is new legislation that requires that the focus of funding for libraries should be moved away from revenue generated by the state-run lottery enterprise Veikkaus to direct financing from tax revenue. This will free up an extra EUR one million for culture, science, sports, and youth work.
Many credit the tenacity of Minister of Culture Tanja Saarela (Centre) for the trend, as well as the lack of development of her ministerial instinct to fear the wrath of the Ministry of Finance.
While Saarela's competence as a minister has been questioned in public, she has proved to be of at least average skill at the Ministry of Education, listening to experts, learning her homework, showing genuine enthusiasm, and initiating projects.
She has also been successful in international affairs, thanks to her linguistic and social skills.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 4.1.2007 - TODAY |
 Culture budget experiences greatest growth since 1980s
|
|
