"Culture" Operational Programme

Programme description

The European Union will actively participate in the development of Portugal by co-financing the "Culture" Operational programme. The programme falls within the 3rd Portuguese Community Support Framework and focuses on reinforcing culture as a source of development and employment, and promoting equal access to culture. The Community will co-finance EUR 237.278 million out of the programme's total cost of EUR 327.467 million.

Eligibility /  Contact / Financial tables

1. Action Priorities

The programme revolves around two priority areas.

Priority 1 : Developing historical and cultural heritageThis priority will fund measures aiming at salvaging and rehabilitating buildings classified as historical heritage sites as well as revitalising the country's major museums. These measures will include funding for the work needed to the buildings, and the construction or adapting of currently existing tourist facilities.

Priority 2 : Fostering better access to cultural sites and activitiesThese measures include the construction and adapting of cultural facilities and promoting of cultural activities. To bring culture closer to the people and to society special emphasis will be put on the dissemination of cultural information using new information technologies.

2. Description of the eligibility

In the previous Community Support Framework (1994-1999), Culture was included as a sub-category of the Modernising of the Economic Fabric Programme. The results obtained under this programme were encouraging and its importance, especially in activities linked to tourism, justifies its current status as a separate programme within the third Community Support Framework.

Culture spans many sectors of the economy and is subject to European Union funding as much on a sector programming level as on a regional programming level. Funding by the ERDF and the Portuguese state are much more comprehensive than the Operational Programme. This programme deals only with various essential aspects of the sector and includes the national strategic guidelines and interests.

3. Management and contact details

The Managing Authority has the primary responsibility of ensuring that all projects are in compliance with EU rules, co-ordinating the implementation of the programme -including its financial aspects- and organising the Monitoring Committee.

The Operational Programme Monitoring Committee will be made up of the social partners and other representative organisations as well as representatives of the European Union and the European Investment Bank. The projects are selected by the Managing Authority following the criteria described in the Programme Complements and approved by the Monitoring Committee.

Financial information

Breakdown of finances by priority axis

Priority Axis	EU Investment	National Public Contribution	Total Public Contribution
Developing historical and cultural heritage	181.085.192,00	257.227.384,00	257.227.384,00
Fostering better access to cultural sites and activities	68.023.398,00	93.900.796,00	93.900.796,00
Total	249.108.590,00	351.128.180,00	351.128.180,00