In addition to the fact that this year's budget for culture was reduced, it was 068% and now it is 0,67%, and two changes in the way of financing indicate penury in this area.
In the last days of last year, the Ministry of Culture of Serbia announced 25 tenders for financing or co-financing projects for various fields of culture.
Deadline not specified
For each of them, the necessary conditions under which to apply are indicated precisely and in detail, except for one - the deadline for publishing the results.
Until now, the competitions of the Ministry of Culture always stated when the results would be published. Let's say last year it was written:
"The results of this competition will be published on the official website of the Ministry of Culture, no later than 60 days after the end of the submission of applications. In this way, the Ministry of Culture will inform all applicants and the general public about the results of the competition."
In the competitions for 2025, the year is written only as follows:
"The results of this competition will be published on the official website of the Ministry of Culture. In this way, the Ministry of Culture will inform the public and applicants about the results of the competition."
Why the second part of the first sentence about the deadline of 60 days for the publication of the results was omitted, is not known.
Approval for each project
People in culture associate it with the change observed this year in the financing of projects in Belgrade.
Namely, sometime after the New Year holidays, the Secretariat for Culture of the City of Belgrade sent its cultural institutions a letter asking them to submit a plan for this year.
The deadline was January 25. Two or three days after that, the Secretariat sent them a letter informing them that for each project, before starting it, they request the approval of funds.
Until now, the City Secretariat of Culture approved the budget for institutions on an annual basis and paid them money for the entire annual plan all at once. It meant to them (the institutions) the certainty that they would realize their plan.
The people who produce culture in the capital experienced the mentioned change in practice as a sign that the funding for this year is uncertain, that there are no separate funds in the budget of the Secretariat for Culture for annual production, and they justifiably expect that the Secretariat will subsequently reject what it has already accepted. Depending on whether he has or not, he transfers the agreed money to the accounts of the 30 cultural institutions for which he exists.
Everything is fine.
Theaters say they can't operate if they don't have an annual budget. Rehearsals of new plays that were planned for last month have not even started. It is true that, for example, directors, provided that they are in-house and have a text, as well as actors, can complete their part of the work in the realization of a new play, but set designers and costume designers cannot - the scenery and costumes have to be made of something.
Without a guaranteed annual budget, theaters cannot plan, especially the authors of plays. They cannot contract work with a guest director or another author and actor if they cannot guarantee that there will be a performance. Everything is standing.
People in culture believe that the reason for the change in the way of financing the City Secretariat is the same as the reason for missing the deadline for announcing the results of the Ministry's competition: the government saves on culture both at the local and state level in order to have something more important to it, more profitable.
Namely, culture for the authorities is not the Expo, it is not even close to it, regardless of the fact that it is more valuable and incomparable.
