Romania gets 29 million euros for RO-CULTURA programme

Romania is the first country to sign a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the financial body of the European Economic Area (EEA), with the country's cultural sector getting 29 million euros for its RO-CULTURA programme in 2014-2021, State Secretary with the Ministry of Culture Stefan Razvan Rab said on Wednesday. 

"Romania is the first country to sign the memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (EEA), a mechanism by which Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein want to support narrowing economic and social gaps in this area, with the amount allocated to Romania for 2014- 2021 standing at 502.5 million euros and representing almost twice the contribution of the previous period, when the cultural sector of Romania had 29 million euros for the programme for cultural entrepreneurship, cultural heritage and cultural spirit, in short, the RO-CULTURE programme," Rab said. 

He opened the launching conference of the RO-CULTURA programme by emphasising that this programme was created and adapted to the current needs of the cultural sector in Romania, designed to "strengthen the economic and social development through cultural co-operation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management." 

"Of the program's total allocation, it is good to remember that 85pct are EEA grants and 15pct are national funds," said Rab. 

Voicing satisfaction with the results obtained under previous programmes, Norway's ambassador to Romania Lise Nicoline Kleven Grevstad said she trusts that in the future, under the RO-CULTURA programme, important heritage objectives in Romania will acquire a new life. 

The Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Ministry of Culture and National Identity (MCIN), as programme operator, launched the RO-CULTURA programme on Wednesday, funded by EEA Grants 2014-2021. RO-CULTURA's general objective is strengthening economic and social development through cultural co-operation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management. It aims to improve the management of cultural heritage by restoring and revitalising historical monuments; supporting innovative exhibitions of restored objects, and by revitalising the cultural heritage of the Romany minority; improve access to culture by strengthening cultural entrepreneurship, increasing audience sizes and supporting cultural initiatives related to the Romany minority.