The culture spokesman of Congress’ Popular Group, José María Lasalle, made clear yesterday that ‘the main cultural policy officials of Spain should appear in Congress to explain what should be the new strategic guidelines for the future of the Ministry of Culture’, following the ministerial change occurred after one year of César Antonio Molina’s appointment, and the replacement of Culture’s Subsecretary and other high-ranking positions of the Department.

Lasalle pointed out that ‘the intensification of the crisis urges a strategic cultural policy that is sufficiently stable –without changes nor ruptures in its central approach, nor in the staff that guides it’. In this respect, the spokesman stated that ‘culture already represents 5% of our GDP and gives employment to more than one million Spaniards. That is why it is urgent to design a strategy for a stable cultural policy that also looks to the future’ because ‘our country should come up with policies that support and strengthen our cultural industries and the rest of sectors and institutions that contribute to make culture a fundamental piece of Spain’s brand and image of prestige in the world’.

Given this, Lasalle asked the following officials to appear on Congress: Culture Subsecretary; the Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute Director; National Library General Director; Reina Sofia National Art Museum Director; Scenic Arts and Music National Institute Director; National Museum El Prado Director, and, finally, the President of Cultural Infrastructure and Equipping Management, ‘to report on the assessment of last years administration and the guidelines foreseen for the rest of the political period within the context of the current economic crisis’.

http://www.abc.es/20090512/cultura-cultura/pide-cargos-cultura-expliquen-20090512.html