Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha has stated that more than doubling the budget for arts and culture will be a priority for the Democratic Party when it comes to power.
Berisha made the comments while holding a press conference, where he said that once the DP comes to power, it will define a special legal status for artists.
Berisha also said that the DP will encourage businesses and businessmen to sponsor with transparency by proportionally reducing the taxes they pay to the state.
Excerpt from Berisha's speech:
So, on every level, this is a kind of Nero for Albanian culture.
There is no more cultural life in the city.
In this city, there is only hypersonic aggression directed at citizens with discos, and they fill the entire artistic life.
This place is a very strange place.
Being the westernmost horn of the peninsula, all empires have coveted it, conquered it, passed through it, and left their mark.
This has made Albania one of the richest countries in cultural heritage. Its own heritage, but also the heritage of empires and other civilizations.
Now they have attacked them too.
They rushed towards Butrint, they rushed towards Bylis, towards other precious heritages and, alongside them, towards the natural wonders of this country.
So, if there is one thing that is most strongly threatened, it is our cultural heritage.
The greatest achievements in this field were the acceptance of some of these masterpieces into the register of the heritage of humanity.
They are also treated contrary to the standards set by UNESCO for such cases.
The DP considers this dramatic situation in the field of culture and arts to be urgent and therefore guarantees Albanian citizens, writers, artists, sculptors, painters and all personalities of culture and art that a radical change in the first year of its governance will occur in the attitude of the state and government towards arts and culture.
Culture is for us a matter of national identity.
In this context, the revitalization and return to activity of all cultural institutions in Tirana and the surrounding areas remains an absolute priority.
Establishing a special legal status for artists, writers, and people of culture is another commitment of ours.
Doubling the budget for culture and art and completely restructuring the Ministry of Culture in the function of the branches of art and culture, their protection and development, are our unchanging objectives.
The adoption of the law on transparent sponsorship of arts and culture by businesses is another of our commitments.
We will encourage businesses and businessmen to sponsor with transparency by proportionally reducing the taxes they pay to the state. These are bonuses for the arts.
Transparency is needed.
Artists are the most sensitive people. They are eternal quarrelers with power.
We will do everything to ensure that they remain so, otherwise they cannot serve the public interest.
But their mission is in the public interest, and therefore they are an invaluable asset to society and the people.
(A2 Televizion)
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