The government can redistribute more than one million euros between budget programs and subprograms of the Ministry of Culture (MK), directing funds to cultural education, the needs of the Riga Circus, and higher educational institutions, according to the annotation to the draft regulatory act prepared by the ministry, reports LETA.
MK indicates that there was a saving of 1,035,372 euros in the budget programs "Cultural Education" and "Cultural Heritage" from the state budget.
In the "Cultural Heritage" program, less funding will be needed in 2025 than planned for the maintenance of the exhibition at the Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music at 6 Marstalu Street. Therefore, the saved 72,288 euros are proposed to be allocated for legal and expert expenses of the state enterprise "Riga Circus," as well as for the provision of the contemporary dance program.
Within the "Cultural Education" program, MK, having analyzed the budget execution for nine months, identified a surplus of 961,431 euros from the planned funding for vocational and professionally oriented education programs established by municipalities and private organizations. This is related to amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers' regulations governing the procedure for state funding of vocationally oriented education programs in the fields of art, music, and dance, as well as the transfer of funding from the Latvian National Centre for Culture.
MK proposes to redistribute the saved funds within the ministry as follows:
– 73,941 euros for legal and expert expenses of the "Riga Circus" and the provision of the contemporary dance program in the "Arts and Literature" subprogram,
– 7,260 euros for the purchase of defibrillators for four vocational secondary educational institutions under the ministry,
– 160,240 euros for expenses related to the creation of a training program in animation at the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) and the Latvian Academy of Arts (LAA),
– 793,931 euros for one-time urgent expenses to ensure the educational process at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, LAA, and LAC.
