The Government foresees a budget of 638.1 million euros for Culture in the State Budget proposal for 2026, presented this afternoon. This is an increase of 21.9% compared to the estimated execution for the current year, of 523.6 million euros. PRR funds represent 216.2 million euros.
“This Budget reinforces investment in culture, continuing the commitment to increase the value attributed to Culture by 50% by 2028”, the document reads.
The budget reinforcement aims to meet objectives already assumed, says the executive. “This is the case of regulation of the management of the Cultural Promotion Fundessential to ensure greater transparency, predictability and rigor in supporting culture; from the review of the legal regime for cultural patronageto make it more attractive and capable of mobilizing resources for preservation, programming and creation; from the generalization of free tickets for companions of people with disabilities and the creation of the accessibility seal for cultural facilities, promoting a truly inclusive cultural policy; and even the strengthening the sectors of performing arts, cinema, theater and different artistic expressions that give life to the country’s territory and cultural diversity”, details the Budget proposal.
These are measures that the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, had already announced that she was working on.
The Government affects 345 million euros of the Budget for the “promotion of artistic creation and democratization of access to culture”, 36 million euros for the “protection and enhancement of cultural heritage”, and 51 million euros for the “promotion of literary creation, reading and archival heritage”.
The Government highlights in the Budget report, support for cinematographic and audiovisual creation, production and promotion and its international projection, with “the improvement and implementation of the SCRI.PT program for the development and internationalization of audiovisual and cinematographic productions”following the public consultation launched at the end of the previous legislature. And also support “for the preservation, digitization and conservation of film heritage”.
The executive talks about “implementing a national strategy for performing and visual arts, music and street arts, and their relationship with creative industries”, and among the measures presented is the “integration of specialized artistic education (music, theater and dance) into the public education network, with curricular flexibility and the presence of specialized teachers in schools”.
In the area of protection and enhancement of cultural heritage, the Government’s priority is accelerate PRR investments so that the ongoing works on 85 pieces of equipment, including national monuments such as the Belém Tower or the São Carlos National Theater, are completed by June 2026.
In the area of promoting literary creation and reading, the Government reaffirms what the Minister of Culture had already announced, namely the launch of the second edition of Check Book and the reinforcement and relaunch of Literary Creation Scholarship Promotion Programs.
In archival heritage, the commitment is to take the “necessary steps with a view to approval and implementation of the Legal Regime for the Classification and Evaluation of Archival Informationas well as the General Regulation that complements it”.