1. Cultural policy system
Portugal
Last update: June, 2011
There have been four key periods in the development of cultural policy in Portugal over the last 60 years.
Up
until the revolution of 25 April 1974, Portugal had an authoritarian
regime. In addition to restricting democratic rights and enforcing
censorship, it was a regime which limited both cultural and artistic
endeavour and contact with cultural trends and experiments taking place
in other countries, particularly those in Europe. 
Following the democratic revolution of 1974, the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic enshrined (in chapter III, Article 73) the state's duty to promote the democratisation of culture. As other rights such as health and education were gradually consolidated, constitutional governments increasingly turned their attention to culture, albeit in a still rather unsystematic fashion, and with culture not being an independent area of ministerial responsibility.
The Thirteenth Constitutional Government established the Ministry of Culture in 1995, with autonomous departments assigned to defining policies for the sector. There were five main aspects to this Ministry's strategy: books and reading; heritage; creative work in the arts; decentralisation, and internationalisation. All six governments in office after 1995 (there have been 8 ministers of culture to date) followed a trend of establishing partnerships between central and local government, with a view to setting up cultural facilities - libraries and cinema-theatres - throughout the country. At the same time, and after a period of more vigorous activity, governments gradually began to disinvest in the field of culture, in terms of both funding allocations and the development and implementation of integrated strategies for the sector.
In 2006, as part of the reforms which took place under PRACE (the Seventeenth Government's Programme to Reform the Central Government Administration), the Ministry of Culture underwent significant reorganisation. This reorganisation was implemented as a rationalisation of resources, and basically involved a reduction in the number of departments through the merging or abolition of some of them - with a resulting loss of independence for sectoral policies. The Nineteenth Government (in office since June 2011) took this trend further, downsizing the administrative structure of the Ministry of Culture to a Secretary of State.
Main features of the current cultural policy model
Cultural policy in Portugal is the remit of the Ministry of Culture and has mainly been based on a centralised model. Among the "peripheral services administered directly by the State", there are five Regional Culture Directorates (North, Centre, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Alentejo and Algarve) whose aim is to distribute the Ministry's responsibilities more widely and whose missions, in conjunction with the Ministry's main departments, are to: "ensure public access to cultural resources, to monitor the activities of cultural producers funded by the Ministry of Culture, and to monitor heritage conservation measures" (Regulatory Decree 34/2007 dated 29 March 2007). Regional Culture Directorates are administratively autonomous.
This is a cultural policy model which tends to be interventionist, with differing degrees of intervention according to the field of cultural and artistic endeavour concerned. Thus in the culture industries (cinema, audiovisual, book publishing), the Ministry of Culture's role is essentially that of a regulator. In the case of performing arts, the traditionally more interventionist role of the Ministry has been in retreat, with progressively less investment in Ministry-supervised production and artistic facilities. There has also been a retreat in the heritage sector, in which the Ministry of Culture has traditionally intervened most extensively, reflected in the merging of institutes in this domain.
It should be noted that the government's retreat from supervision of the cultural sector is also evident in other ways - first of all in the form of budgetary restrictions and the gradually reducing organisational structure of the Ministry of Culture as factors which contributed to its relative decline as a cultural actor. Thus the greater investment by local authorities in the domain of culture turned them into key players in terms of cultural policies (see chapter 1.2.2). In turn the main cultural entities in the third sector continue to intervene in the cultural field - of particular importance here are the Gulbenkian Foundation, the Serralves Foundation and the Luso-American Foundation. The cultural activities of other ministries should also be taken into account, such as the Ministry of Education (in book publishing and reading), the Ministry of Economics (in the creative industries, including tourism), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in language, see chapter 1.4) and the Ministry of Public Works (in the heritage field).
Cultural policy objectives
The main manifesto commitments of the Eighteenth Government (October 2009 - June 2011) were:
- to increase the culture budget during the life of the present legislature, so as to fund adequately the full development of public policies for the sector;
- to ensure coordination of cultural policies across all ministries and departments involved in sectoral policies relevant to culture; and
- to strengthen and improve the key contribution of modern creative art to the country's development, encouraging the formation of networks and partnerships and the increased diversity of cultural practices, by means of clear policies in support of artists, educating audiences and achieving greater interaction between culture, science and education. Three areas are emphasised in particular: Language, Heritage and the Arts and the Creative and Cultural Industries.
As far as endowing the country with cultural facilities and networks is concerned, it should be noted that this objective of cultural policy was initially implemented by means of investment in the creation and restoration of cultural infrastructures. More recently, greater emphasis has been placed on extending public access to cultural events and facilities.As the Nineteenth Government is entering office (June 2011) the most relevant strategic policy objective stated is to "evaluate the State's involvement in cultural life and reduce its administrative apparatus" (from the Government Programme). Some other general objectives are stated, such as the support to historic and intangible heritage, creative industries and the arts. The literature and libraries sector, as well as the language policy, are also given
Last update: June, 2011
Last update: June, 2011
The administration of the country has three levels: central administration, municipal administration and the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira which have been granted their own special political administrative status and political organs. The central government - in this case the Ministry of Culture - is the body which has the highest level of responsibility for defining and implementing cultural policy.
Apart from the departments of the Ministry of Culture and local councils, some foundations play a significant role in cultural policy, by reason of the support they give to culture and the arts, the events they organize, and the cultural initiative agreements they make with the Ministry of Culture.
It should be mentioned, however, that culture has become increasingly important in the management of local public affairs - although not all councils are equally invested in the cultural field. Looking at culture as a proportion of the local councils' overall budgets, it can be observed that not only has there been an absolute increase in expenditure on culture since the end of the 1980s, but that culture also accounted for an increasing portion of total expenditure. Also notable are the number of partnerships, and the resulting sharing of responsibilities, between central government and local councils. These partnerships were set up to establish and develop networks of cultural facilities, like the National Public Libraries Network (Rede Nacional de Bibliotecas Públicas - RNBP) in 1987, the first network launched by the Ministry of Culture, and the Portuguese Museums Network (Rede Portuguesa de Museus - RPM), in 2000.
Please find the available information on this subject in 1.2.2.
Please find the available information on this subject in 1.2.2.
Information is currently not available.
Last update: June, 2011
The Ministry of Culture has entered into various agreements with other ministries, in order that inter-ministerial co-operation may be of real benefit to the government's policy action in the cultural field. The main examples are:
- The National Reading Plan (Plano Nacional de Leitura - PNL), launched in 2007 with the aim of increasing Portuguese literacy levels, is a government initiative, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture and the Office of the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. In the first phase of this Plan (2007-2011) the Education and Culture ministries have carried out joint action and training programmes.
- The Directorate-General for the Arts, supervised by the Ministry of Culture, and the Camões Institute (Instituto Camões), jointly supervised by the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Culture, adopted a memorandum of Understanding in 2008, the aims of which were to ensure funding for Portuguese artists and foreign artists resident in Portugal to take part in events taking place outside Portugal, as well as to provide support to foreign organisations established in the international art world which might wish to invite Portuguese artists or bodies to take part in international events.
- In November 2010, the Foreign Affairs and Culture ministries signed an agreement aimed at strengthening institutional co-operation between the Camões Institute and the Ministry of Culture's Office of Planning, Strategy, Assessment and International Relations (GPEARI). The aim of this partnership is to co-ordinate the actions of the two organisations.
Collaboration between the ministries of Culture and Education has taken the form of joint project and working groups to develop linkages between cultural and educational polices - particularly in respect of measures to encourage participation in cultural life. The results of these attempts at coordinated action have been disappointing.
Last update: June, 2011
The process of privatisation in Portugal can be seen particularly through: the successive laws on patronage and sponsorship; the Act establishing private radio and television stations; the Act creating state-sponsored foundations.
State corporations have been set up as a result of implementation of the Programme to Reorganise the Central Government Administration (PRACE, see chapter 1.1) and the consequent changes in the Ministry of Culture's organisation chart. Of particular note is the merger of the artistic structures - S. Carlos National Theatre, the National Ballet Company - which produced OPART, a state enterprise entity. The Ministry of Culture presented in 2010 a further merger of the two remaining national theatres (D. Maria II National Theatre and the S. João National Theatre) - with OPART, but those plans were suspended.
Last update: June, 2011
Table 6: Cultural institutions financed by public authorities, by domain
| Domain | Cultural institutions (subdomains) | Number (2009) |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural heritage | Cultural heritage sites (recognised) | 13 |
| Museums (organisations) | 28 | |
| Archives (of public authorities) | 2 | |
| Visual arts | public art galleries / exhibition halls | - |
| Art academies (or universities) | - | |
| Performing arts | Symphonic orchestras | 3 |
| Music schools | - | |
| Music / theatre academies (or universities) | - | |
| Dramatic theatre | 2 | |
| Music theatres, opera houses | 1 | |
| Dance and ballet companies | 1 | |
| Books and Libraries | Libraries | 188 |
| Audiovisual | Broadcasting organisations | 1* |
| Interdisciplinary | Socio-cultural centres / cultural houses | - |
| Other (please explain) | - |
Source(s):
Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage (IGESPAR) and UNESCO; Institute for Museums and Conservation (IMC); Directorate-General for Books and Libraries (DGLB); Portuguese Radio and Television (RTP).
Note:
* RTP, Portuguese Radio and Television (Television - 9 channels; Radio - 8 channels).
Last update: June, 2011
The process of co-operation between the public and private sectors can also be seen in the creation of foundations.
The 1986 legislation states that gifts made to foundations automatically reduce the amount due on taxable income, provided that the state, the Autonomous Regions or local authorities contribute at least 50% of the initial funding.
Foundations are, supposedly, institutions which best exemplify commitment on the part of the civil society (there are over 450 foundations in Portugal). Foundations are established with significant private capital, but in fact they also receive support from the state, which agrees to cover a set proportion of the fixed running costs. A number of foundations were created along these lines between 1989 and 2006: the Serralves Foundation, the Arpad Szènes-Vieira da Silva Foundation, the Centro Cultural de Belém Foundation, the Museu do Douro Foundation, the Contemporary and Modern Art Foundation - Berardo Collection.
The geographical distribution of cultural foundations does not change the conventional shape of the cultural map of the country: there is a heavy concentration of foundations in Lisbon, followed by Oporto. The foundations set up in the Northern interior of the country do represent local attempts to decentralise culture. Decentralisation is in fact one of the main aims of the foundations located in the Northern region; in the Lisbon region, on the other hand, internationalisation is a key feature.
The Gulbenkian Foundation, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006, continues its important cultural role in Portugal. In recent years, Gulbenkian undertook a major restructuring of its structure and re-directed its activities. The most controversial measure is the closure of the Gulbenkian Ballet - a major artistic reference of contemporary dance in Portugal that was founded in 1965. On its 50th anniversary, Gulbenkian entered a new phase, re-directing support to different cultural areas and offering new programmes (e.g. The Cultural Forum "The State of the World" and the educational programme Descobrir).
Last update: June, 2011
The Camões Institute plays a key role in cultural diplomacy in Portugal. This public institute, which is administratively and financially independent, having its own asset base, operates in the fields of culture and teaching. Its mission is to put forward and implement policy proposals for the dissemination and teaching of Portuguese language and culture abroad and to promote Portuguese as a language of international communication. In its European aspects the Camões Institute is a member of EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) and EFNIL(European Federation of National Institutions for Language), and develops partnerships for joint action.
The mechanisms for awarding funding for international events were recently changed in line with the November 2010 agreement between the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture. This agreement established the institutional co-operation and information exchange between the Camões Institute and the Ministry of Culture's Office of Planning, Strategy, Assessment and International Relations (GPEARI) related to the international promotion of Portuguese culture. It also stated that the financial support by Camões Institute to the presentation of Portuguese artists in foreign countries, which had been interrupted in 2010.
Last update: June, 2011
In the previous community support framework there was a specific programme for culture, as for other sectors, called the Operational Programme for Culture (POC - Programa Operacional da Cultura), in which the Ministry of Culture was heavily involved. The current (2007-2013) National Strategic Reference Framework (Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional - QREN) does not have these sectoral programmes. Instead a line of cross-sector programmes has been created, with an emphasis on the creative industries.
GPEARI monitors applications made under specific culture-related regulations and deals with applications made by departments of the Ministry of Culture to the QREN; it compiles data on approved projects which have an impact on the cultural sector or are related to it, especially those put together by companies in the creative and cultural sector.
Portugal is one of the European countries whose cultural organisations are taking part in the Culture Programme 2007-2013.
Portugal is a member of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa - CPLP). Political, economic and cultural relations between member-states take place within this body. An example of a cultural event organised by the CPLP is the "CPLP Cultural Week", which featured a schedule of events reflecting the diversity of lusophone culture.
In March 2007 Portugal ratified the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and its Annex, adopted by the 33rd UNESCO General Conference in Paris in October 2005. The convention entered into force in Portugal on 16 June 2007 (Notice 180/2010, Diário da República, 1st Series - No. 155 - 11 August 2010).
Portugal approved the Convention on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted at the 32nd Session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris on 17 October 2003, by parliamentary resolution 12/2008.
GPEARI represents the Ministry of Culture at UNESCO.
Last update: June, 2011
Arts and Heritage Institutions:
The WHPO - World Heritage of Portuguese Origin - network was established in October 2010. This is a worldwide cooperation network of countries which have Portuguese-influenced cultural heritage. 25 countries from four continents - Europe, Africa, Asia and South America - are members of WHPO. The project involves the University of Coimbra, the UNESCO National Committee, the Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage (Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico - IGESPAR) and ICOMOS Portugal (the Portuguese National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites).
The Architecture Foundation, in collaboration with the Order of Architects and the British Council, is sponsoring an exchange programme between the UK and Portugal for 2010-2011. The best three emerging architects in the UK will join the corresponding group of three Portuguese architects to act as ambassadors for each country's architecture, taking part in programmes in Lisbon and London involving coordinated activities such as lectures and visits to studios and other locations.
Theatre, Dance, Film, Music:
Portugal is one of the four countries who are members of the IRIS network - the Southern European Association for Contemporary Creative Arts. The network covers theatre and festival directors in Portugal, France, Spain and Italy.
The Belém Cultural Centre (CCB) in Lisbon represents Portugal in the Prospero network, a plurennial cultural cooperation project, to which theatres in France, Belgium, Germany, Finland and Italy also belong. Cooperation takes the practical form of artists and cultural actors moving within the network and the dissemination of cultural productions.
PLATEIA, the Professional Association of Scenic Art Performers, is a member of IETM - International Network for the Contemporary Performing Arts.
The Portuguese representative for the On the Move initiative, an information network on cultural mobility, is responsible for information coordination.
Additional resources:
Mobility trends and case studies
Examples of mobility schemes for artists and cultural professionals in Portugal