The parliamentary committee on Culture, Youth, and Sports has approved the request by Chega to hear testimonies from Pedro Adão e Silva, Graça Fonseca, and former GEPAC director Maria Fernanda Heitor. This decision, supported by votes from PSD and Chega, with PS, Livre, and PCP abstaining, was announced on the parliament’s website.
Chega called for the hearing of the former Culture Ministers and the ex-director of GEPAC in reference to findings from an Inspection-General of Finances (IGF) report concerning the Cultural Promotion Fund from 2020 to 2022.
The IGF report highlights concerns over the sustainability of the Cultural Promotion Fund during the pandemic-stricken years marked by various disruptions in the cultural sector.
During this period, the IGF noted a decline in self-generated revenues, necessitating increased state budget transfers and nearly full use of the previous year’s balance to meet exceptional support measures.
The IGF reported that the Cultural Promotion Fund granted 123.7 million euros in public subsidies without conducting evaluations on their results or impacts.
More than half of these funds, totaling 77.1 million euros, were allocated to cultural foundations in compliance with the law, but without specific project allocation or formal written agreements.
From 2020 to 2022, under the PS government led by Prime Minister António Costa, the “Garantir Cultura” program was established to counter the cultural sector’s negative impact due to COVID-19. The IGF identified “irregularities in expenses” based on a statistical sample review of 81 support processes.
The “Garantir Cultura” initiative, with a budget of approximately 53 million euros, aimed to support artistic creation and programming, starting in early 2021 during the pandemic.
According to data released in July 2023 by the then-Government, the subprogram managed by GEPAC had initially announced a budget of 23 million euros for artistic entities, later adjusted to 21.8 million euros, supporting 1,095 projects.
The subprogram for companies, managed by COMPETE 2020 under the Economy Ministry through Turismo de Portugal, initially announced a budget of 30 million euros, which was later revised to 29.5 million euros.
Under this subprogram, 622 projects were approved.
The IGF report, approved by the Government in May this year, recommends developing annual and multiannual activity and/or strategic plans, creating regulations for financial support lines, and establishing protocols or contracts with beneficiaries.
Chega justified the submission of today’s approved request with the “serious deficiencies in the operation” of the Cultural Promotion Fund highlighted in the report.
