The Cultural Industries Fostering Plan was recently presented by the Spanish Culture Minister, César Antonio Molina, therewith fulfilling his government’s promise to give a strong support to the cultural industries and contribute to their consolidation, modernization and relevance.
The cultural industry sector represents 4% of Spain’s GDP, employs about 800.000 workers and generates effects in many other sectors of the Spanish economy, particularly in the fields of information, communication, innovation and culture.
The novelty of the Plan is the inclusion of new sectors directly connected to innovation and creativity, like the leisure and audiovisual digital contents industry, the new multimedia creative genres, design, fashion and architecture, that sum up to the more traditional sectors like cinema, audiovisual arts, edition, scenic arts, painting, sculpture, photography and music.
Additionally, the Plan intends to lighten the international financial crisis effects in wealth and job creation in the cultural industry sector, by increasing credit to cultural companies that suffer present liquidity restrictions. The Plan has an amount of 30.240.000 Euros, including subsidies and refundable aids.
The main objectives of this new government strategy are:
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To reorient the Ministry of Culture aids and subsidies systems by including new sectors and introducing new financial instruments like refundable aids;
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To help small and medium enterprises as main nucleuses in the creation and development of new enterprises;
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To support especially every cultural industry whose aim is to implement projects directed to innovation and modernization;
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To foster talent and creativity, especially in the IT and online contents sector;
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To favor cultural industries’ internationalization;
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To favor cultural management development.
All of these goals will be followed through the implementation of new initiatives and the continuation of some of the already existing aids and subsidies, now adapted to the new Plan orientation.
Source: Ministry of Culture of Spain
The Plan’s document is available (only in Spanish) [ here ]