Faced with the ongoing crisis, it is necessary to abandon the rhetoric of beauty and implement organic and long-term interventions to relaunch the growth of the cultural sector and of the country.
With the recent decrees on culture, the government has finally embarked on this path, but more needs to be done. This is the warning that Federculture, in the annual assembly of Italian cultural companies, spear to the ministers Franceschini e Giannini, putting forward concrete proposals and lines of action for the coming years.
Real complementarity between public and private; extension of the art-bonus to patronage in favor of individuals of a private nature, currently excluded; support for household consumption through the deductibility of cultural expenses; MiBACT-MIUR coordination table to integrate training, cultural offer and employment policies; support for the production and management autonomy of cultural companies.
A broad and detailed picture of the situation emerges from the 2014 Federculture Annual Report, presented during the meeting. Some data:
For the second consecutive year, in 2013 the cultural expenditure of Italian families decreases: -3%.
A drop that interrupts a long period in which, passing from 55 billion euros in 2000 to 71,5 in 2011, spending on culture had registered an increase of 30%.
The consecutive contraction of the last two years, 2012 and 2013, involves a drop of 7%.
The same trend reversal also affects the cultural use. Between 2002 and 2011, all sectors recorded growing values which, in the two-year period 2012-2013 turn into a glaring collapse:
theater -15,5%, exhibitions -12,8%, concerts -14,4%.
Funding is also bad. Altogether public intervention in culture (State and local governments) in the last ten years it has decreased by more than 1,6 billion.
- private investments (sponsorships, donations, investments from banking foundations) in the cultural sector since the beginning of the crisis, 2008, to date they have fallen by about 350 million of Euro,
vale a dire 40% less.
However, we are always the 5th exporting country of creative goods in the world e leader in the export of design products for which we are at 1st place among the G8 economies and 2nd among those of the G20.
The year Federculture records in its 2014 Annual Report is still a difficult year for culture "Culture the alternative to the crisis for a new idea of progress", presented this morning in Rome during the general assembly of the federation of Italian cultural companies.
A gloomy scenario which, however, must not lead to pessimism and renunciation. Indeed, just a few days before the start of the semester of Italy's Presidency of the European Union, it is necessary to regain the impetus to implement profound changes and once again affirm the crucial role of culture as the glue of Europe and generator of progress for the whole Continent .
For this reason, once again a strong request for reforms and transformations is coming from Federculture, starting from Italy, so that our country can recover the cultural, and therefore political and economic, leadership it has historically had in the West. Incisive policies are needed, therefore, starting from the rediscovery of the value of culture as a common good and public service in which the citizen, the final recipient of every intervention, is at the centre.
- Widen access to culture and participation, with tax interventions to support consumption, in particular by introducing the deductibility of expenses for cultural activities and training. It is not possible that precisely in Italy there are no tax breaks for spending on cultural goods and services, while, for example, there are countless provisions in favor of the purchase of furniture or household appliances.
This is one of the first proposals made to the Government to bring Italians closer to theatre, cinema, music and knowledge of heritage and to stem the fall in cultural consumption certified by the most recent data: in 2013 spending on culture and recreation by Italians stops at 66,5 billion euros, 5 billion less spent in the sector if we consider the two-year period 2012-2013. At the same time, cultural participation continues to decline in all sectors: , -8%; museums and exhibitions -7,5%, cinemas -5,6%, concerts -6,3%. Also in this case 2013 is the second year of contraction and between 2012 and 2013 the drop in participation also becomes double-digit.
Data that place us at the bottom of the European rankings. StWe are among the bottom 8 countries for household cultural spending in the Europe 27 ranking and below the European average values both in spending on culture and in general cultural practice: ours index of 'high cultural participation' is 5% while the EU average is 13%.
A positive figure is recorded for i state museums which partially recover the 10% decrease in visitors in 2012, with a 2,9% increase in 2013- But if you look at the civic structures in many cities you will find some downturns: a Roma i municipal museums they mark a 5,7% fewer visitors, Palermo -5,3%, Milan -4,2%, Bologna -4,2%.
The heavy drop in consumption highlighted by the most recent data is certainly influenced by the general crisis, but also by a reduction in supply resulting from the continuous contraction of public and private investments in the cultural sector and the lack of organic modernization policies and measures in management.
- It is necessary to restore the levels of public investment and to give certainty, within the framework of multi-year programming, to the disbursement of resources, but also to implement courageous initiatives that go in the direction of regulatory simplification and de-bureaucratisation of procedures.
The picture of the resources allocated to the sector for various reasons is not comforting.
At the state level, the slight increase in the allocation MiBACT for 2014, 1.595 million euros against the 1.547 planned for 2013, only partially curbs the hemorrhage which in ten years has seen the Ministry lose 27,4% of its budget.
But it is above all the local administrations that are in difficulty: come on Municipality in 2012 they were destined for the sector 1,9 billion euros, 9,4% less on 2011 and well 26% less than in 2005 when the resources invested in culture were equal to 2,6 billion of Euro. Also significant is the drop in investments made in recent years by provinces peer in 2012 a 160 million euros, -25% on 2011 and -42% on 2006.
The same trend is observed for the private investments: -9% to culture from banking foundations; -18% from donations, while they mark a slight recovery sponsorships in that 2013 grow by 9 million euros, + 6%.
- In this context, the new tax rules for patronage, the art bonus, are certainly positive but not sufficient initiatives. Federculture hopes that the deductible amounts for cultural patronage will stabilize over time and in the amount and calls for the extension of the art bonus to those who make donations to individuals with legal status under private law (e.g. foundations set up by public bodies ) and to institutes and places open to the public but belonging to private subjects and finally to the non-profit private sector that is engaged in cultural activities. If this were not the case, a difference in treatment will be created between different subjects who exercise a public service function.
- But, in addition to resources, it is necessary to improve the supply system and act on administrative efficiency, also by abandoning the direct management of cultural assets and activities by the State and local authorities, favoring autonomous and private management forms.
Indeed, in a negative scenario like the one described, there is a part of the country that works. The many public-private cultural companies who manage cultural assets and activities demonstrate how it is possible to obtain effective and efficient results even in a crisis situation.
The Federculture research conducted for the third year on a sample of realities including Fond. Venice Civic Museums, Milan Triennale, Fond. Turin Museums, Madre Napoli, Palaexpo Special Company, Fond. MAXXI, etc., presents very clear indicators: in the period 2008-2013 despite one average reduction of public contributions of 32,4% and of those 48% private, companies have managed to increase the own income +36%, attendance +16%,employment +7,4% andSelf-financing which reaches an average of 54%.
Results even more relevant if we consider that in 2013, 15% of state cultural institutes had neither visitors nor generated revenue, that only 9% of Italian museums have an online ticket service or that just 5% offer applications for smartphones or tablets.
Self-management companies are a virtuous model that politics must finally take into account, also because it is often forgotten that only 9% of the 4.588 Italian cultural sites belong to the state, while the rest is part of that dense network of small and large realities spread throughout the country mainly managed by private organizations and which welcome over 60% of visitors to our museums and cultural heritage.
- Relaunch the education and training system to broaden access to knowledge and artistic expression of the younger generations. The commitment undertaken by the government to restore the teaching of art history, geography and music in high schools must be continued. At the same time, a reform of the Higher Artistic and Musical Education (AFAM) is needed which aims at the recognition of the university qualification and at a closer link with the world of production. In this direction, the joint action of Mibact and Miur is essential to bring training and supply closer together, giving young people an active role in work and in the economy.
Our company is among the last countries in Europe for public spending on education, 4,2% of GDP compared to an EU average of 5,3%Our approach rate of young people leaving school early, 17,6%, is, instead, among the highest ofEurope where the average rate is del 12,8%. We are also still weak in higher education: 21,7% of 30-34 year olds have a university degree (or equivalent). Despite an increase of 6 percentage points in the period 2004-2012, the share is still very limited compared to the 40% target set by Europe 2020. On the other hand, registrations continue to decrease: 68.000 fewer students enrolled in the 2013-2014 academic year compared to ten years ago.
«We are living in a time of transition and uncertainty - comments Roberto Grossi, President of Federculture -, but Italy has enormous potential and resources on which to pivot in order to relaunch itself. We must stop chasing emergencies and start over from an idea of a country in which culture once again becomes a fundamental guide to progress. We need to go back to the real economy. Culture also plays a determining role in economic wealth and employment. At work in particular, the government's provisions for youth employment in culture are welcome, but much more needs to be done and I want to launch a challenge: I am convinced that if we entrust the many museums to businesses and youth associations, with clear objectives and rules, and places of culture of the State and local authorities practically closed and we encourage start-ups in the field of cultural and creative industry in two years we could reduce the very high level of youth unemployment by 5%.
The real drama – concludes Grossi – the main problem for the future is the absence of a vision in which to build a new horizon. Instead, every effort must be concentrated on this, including at the European level, to restore meaning and new vigor to the great unitary project. The period of crisis that has upset many sectors can open a new phase of "creative destruction". That is, starting a process of profound renewal capable of opening a new cycle of development, which only thanks to culture can bring lasting benefits to all fields of society. Economy and employment together with democracy, human rights, well-being. This is the path of progress that history, beyond any study, shows us".
