The end of “magic money” is not yet in sight. In 2022, the budget of the Ministry of Culture will increase by 7.5%, an unprecedented increase since the start of the five-year term, announced Wednesday, September 22, the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot. For the first time in its history, the rue de Valois budget will exceed the 4 billion euros mark (excluding public broadcasting), with a total of 4.083 billion euros devoted to culture in 2022, i.e. 273 million euros. more than in the initial finance law for 2021.
“This is an unprecedented increase, which completes a continuous effort for culture since 2017”, welcomed Mme Bachelot, Wednesday September 22, during a press conference at the end of the Council of Ministers. In fact, the rue de Valois budget has never fallen since the election of Emmanuel Macron, unlike some other ministries. On the contrary, the increase was exponential: from 0.7% in 2018, the increase rose to 2% in 2020 then to 4.8% this year, and therefore to 7.5% for 2022.
“In total, the ministry will have increased its budget by 15% since 2017, which represents 507 million euros more”, welcomes the entourage of the Minister, who wants to see “The priority that the President of the Republic and the government have given to culture since 2017”. The increase is nevertheless less than those obtained over the same period by the ministries of justice (+ 30%), ecological transition (+ 20%) or even the interior (+ 18%).
“To compensate on average 70% of the net losses suffered”
Sign that the “Whatever the cost” has not been remitted, the ministry took advantage of the presentation of its 2022 budget to announce a new aid plan of 234 million euros for the large cultural establishments under the supervision of the State, whose attendance suffers from the absence of international tourists. This plan comes in addition to initial aid of 614 million euros, which was released a year ago to save the Palace of Versailles, the Paris Opera and the Louvre from bankruptcy. But it will not weigh on the 2022 budget and will be included in the amending finance bill for 2021, at the beginning of November.
In detail, the Louvre will benefit from an additional 53 million euros (on top of the 46 million granted a year ago, i.e. 99 million), the Center des monuments nationaux will receive 30 million (119.3 million at total), the Paris Opera 25 million (106 million), the Palace of Versailles 24.8 million (111.8 million), the Musée d’Orsay 18.2 million (33.2 million), the Philarmonie de Paris 8.1 million (11.9 million)… This aid will “Make it possible to compensate on average 70% of the net losses suffered in 2020-2021 and anticipated in 2022, by the partial reconstitution of the cash flow of the establishments”, explains an advisor.
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