At the sitting held on 23 December, the Culture and Information Committee considered the Bill on the 2011 Budget of the Republic of Serbia, Section 28 relating to the Ministry of Culture, in principle. The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Vesna Marjanovic.

The proposed budget, amounting to 6.31 billion RSD for the Ministry of Culture next year, was elaborated by Minister of Culture Nebojsa Bradic. In the budget proposal, 1.2 billion RSD were allocated for specialised services, while 3.2 billion RSD have been planned for cultural institutions. The media subsidies amount to 378.3 million RSD, while the Ministry’s funds were cut due to a reduced number of employees which, according to Bradic, impedes the Ministry’s operation.

For next year, Bradic announced a reconstruction project of the National Museum in Belgrade and the Museum of Contemporary Art, opening of the National Library and the building of the Yugoslav Cinematheque, as well as several projects aimed at presenting Serbian culture abroad.

The Committee members stated the 2011 culture budget was not low, but that the funds for cultural institutions should be increased at the expense of specialised services.

In the debate, the deputies stressed that the election of members for the National Council for Culture and adoption of a culture strategy next year should clarify which cultural activities are financed by the budgetary funds and which can present their products on the market. They also pointed out the need to resolve the issue of transforming state media houses.

The Culture and Information Committee endorsed the Bill on the 2011 Budget of the Republic of Serbia, the part relating to the Ministry of Culture.