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Swiss parliament cuts Swiss Arts Council budget

A still from the film The Miracle of Helvetia for the "Super Superior Civilization" exhibition at the Swiss pavilion, organised by Pro Helvetia, at the 60th Venice Biennale on April 14, 2024.
A still from the film The Miracle of Helvetia for the "Super Superior Civilization" exhibition at the Swiss pavilion, organised by Pro Helvetia, at the 60th Venice Biennale on April 14, 2024. Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The Swiss parliament has approved a culture budget of almost CHF1 billion for 2025-2028. However, the budget of the Swiss Arts Council (Pro Helvetia) has been cut.

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The government has proposed a culture budget of CHF987.9 million over the next four years. Around 210 million has been earmarked for film and cinema and CHF139 million for the Swiss National Museum.

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Money has also been earmarked for monument preservation (CHF126 million), languages (CHF80 million) and the transfer of cultural assets (CHF3 million). These budgets were not contested by parliament.

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However, the House of Representatives decided to cut the CHF187 million earmarked for Pro Helvetia. It cut CHF6.5 million from its budget for work abroad, in particular because of “problematic” activities in Russia.

Swiss parliamentarians agreed on a CHF2 million increase towards the CHF159 million earmarked for the promotion of culture.

Adapted from German by DeepL/sb

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