- July 2, 2012
- 248
Narkiewicz: What’s important, the national minorities will have their voice
The Lithuanian Parliament examines currently the project of the Law on the Cultural Council of Lithuania, which is to improve and democratize the management of the professional culture in Lithuania.
For this purpose, the initiators of the project propose to establish a 10-member Cultural Council of Lithuania, which will take over from the Ministry of Culture the responsibility for funding cultural projects and overseeing the use of funding allocated to projects of culture and art.
“According to the act, the importance of this Council will be very large, because it will consider projects and decide whether to fund them. So far the Ministry of Culture had to deal with these issues. Many people were upset, because a lot of decisions were marked politically. Now it should be clearer; we will see in reality.” – Jarosław Narkiewicz informed PL DELFI.
According to the project, the Cultural Council of Lithuania shall be approved by the government, but the candidates will be indicated by special electors.
The Lithuanian Culture and Art Council, the Lithuanian Association of Artists, the ‘Cultural Self-Government Council’ Association and the Research Council of Lithuania will indicate two candidates each. One elector will be assigned by minister of culture.
Deputy of EAPL, Jarosław Narkiewicz, suggested that minister of culture should assign two electors, including one at the request of national minorities, and one of the ten members of the Council would be a representative of a national minority.
Narkiewicz’s proposal was supported by 65 deputies, 15 abstained from voting. However, lacking a quorum, the project of the Law was not adopted on Saturday. The final voting on the adoption of the Law will take place only during the autumn session. “What’s important, the Parliament approved our amendments and minorities will have their voice in the Council” – said Narkiewicz.
Tłumaczenie Ewelina Zarembska w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Ewelina Zarembska within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.
