Subsidies for basic cultural services

16 May 2023
Subsidies for basic cultural services
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Draft bill #9297 of May 12, 2023 

Cosponsors: a group of MPs from the Restoration of Ukraine faction 

Who is affected: the Ministry of Finance, local self-government bodies, cultural establishments, and residents of territorial communities. 

Summary of the bill: it will be allowed to allocate funding to subsidize the provision of basic cultural services in territorial communities from the government budget via transfers to local budgets. 

Why this is important: as a result of the decentralization reform, the state has transferred its responsibility and corresponding funding for providing access to cultural services for residents of territorial communities to local governments. Many territorial communities, however, cannot afford to maintain cultural establishments, which is why residents of such communities often do not have access to cultural services. 

What is right: better funding for cultural establishments in territorial communities. 

What is wrong: the bill does not define how the proposed subsidies are supposed to be granted. If the bill is adopted in the current version, it will not change anything and will not ensure equal access to basic cultural services. 

Alternative solution: to describe in detail the mechanism for the distribution of the subsidies. In particular, who is eligible to get financial support for cultural establishments, how the funds should be spent, and what the role of the state is in this process.