Renewal of monuments for 1.8 billion from the EU is expected to be completed next year

Prague - The Czech state has already drawn more than three billion crowns for large cultural heritage restoration projects funded by European grants. Of this, 2.44 billion came from structural funds and 431 from the state budget. Another 1.8 billion crowns is designated for six projects currently overseen by the Ministry of Culture, Culture Minister Daniel Herman said today at a press conference that presented the six mentioned projects. They are expected to be completed next year.
    In the outgoing period from 2007 to 2014, a total of 5.7 billion from European funds is available for 20 projects, to which the state budget adds another billion. Our department is among those that are able to draw from European funds, Herman stated.
    However, from the original 20 projects, the Ministry of Culture now manages only six, of which the National Center for Garden Culture in Kroměříž (budget 336 million crowns) has been completed. Next year, the restoration projects at Kuks (453 million), Schola naturalis in Veltrusy (238 million), National Center for Theater and Dance in Valtice (134 million), Center for the Restoration of 20th Century Architecture in Brno (191 million), and Center for Building Heritage in Plasy (393 million) should be completed.
    By 2013, three projects from the mentioned twenty were completed under the management of the Ministry of Culture: the Tugendhat Villa, part of the area in Lower Vítkovice, and the National Museum of Photography and Tapestry Workshop in Jindřichův Hradec. Last year, however, the government transferred the management of European grants for cultural projects in this program (Integrated Operational Program, IOP) to the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR), as the Ministry of Culture, according to the government's statement at that time, was unable to manage it. The government was concerned about the loss of grants, relying also on findings from the Supreme Audit Office, which indicated that some funds were used contrary to the views of the European Commission; however, the office defended itself by stating that it had a positive opinion from the EC.
    The then Rusnok government also feared delays in drawing grants, as in 2012 the Ministry of Culture reportedly only met the established timeline for drawing funds at 46 percent, and it was also behind schedule last year.
    Although approximately two billion of the total 6.7 billion is now administered by MMR, the Ministry of Culture, or rather its contributory organizations, are involved in the actual implementation of the projects. In five out of the six currently presented projects, the grant recipient is the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), while in one it is the National Technical Museum. NPÚ also draws grants within another program (Operational Program Environment), with nearly 200 million crowns allocated for more than 30 projects primarily focused on the restoration of castle gardens.
    It is unclear whether in the future the management of the remaining dozens of IOP projects could also pass to the Ministry of Culture. The specifics of drawing grants in the area of cultural heritage in the next EU programming period are also not clearly defined yet.