Cutting back on culture means cutting back on each and every one of us
Beursschouwburg and the cultural sector express their concern about a potential 10% cut to the culture budget.
Reports have appeared in the press regarding a potential 10% cut to the culture budget. The Flemish Government has not yet made a decision on this matter, but negotiations are currently in full swing.
The issue concerns the budget allocated under the various cultural decrees. Consequently, any potential cut would affect not only the subsidized arts sector but also cultural heritage, socio-cultural work, amateur arts, circus, and other cultural fields.
The potential 10% cut would be just the latest in a long series of reductions. In 2004, the culture budget accounted for 1.99% of the total Flemish budget; it has since steadily declined to 0.72%. Across the various rounds of budget cuts, culture has been one of the policy areas to suffer the greatest proportional losses. The Flemish Government faced a major cost-cutting exercise last year as well. Ultimately, the cultural sector contributed 13.5%—or 23 million euros—of the total savings required; a disproportionate amount. Moreover, years of failing to index subsidies—or doing so only partially—combined with inflation have caused the cultural sector's financial resilience to wither.
Behind the figures lie people—many people. An additional 10% cut means fewer people at work, fewer activities, a reduced offering, and less reach.
Culture is not merely a cost item limited to the funds invested by the government. Culture generates economic activity, employment, international prestige, and revenue, but above all, it creates societal value.
That value cannot easily be expressed in euros. Consequently, anyone looking solely at government spending sees only part of the story.
We trust that the Flemish Government will fully appreciate the broad value of culture.
