The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture stated in Ponta Delgada that about 2.3% of the Investment Plan provided for 2019 will be directed to culture.
 
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting of the Regional Council of Culture, Avelino Meneses emphasised the efforts undertaken by the Regional Government in culture at a time when cultural agents in Portugal and Europe "claim 1% for cultural expenditure."
 
For the Regional Secretary, this means that the Azores "are effectively at the forefront" in this area.
 
The investment plan for culture, which was under discussion at the meeting with cultural advisers, increased from 13.5 million Euros in 2018 to 18 million Euros in 2019. This represents an effective increase over 33%.
 
According to Avelino Meneses, the increased investment is justified by the launch of the second phase of the Carlos Machado Museum in Ponta Delgada and the ongoing revision of the tender to be launched for the Shipbuilding Museum in Santo Amaro, Pico Island.
 
With these investments, the Azores are about to "accomplish" a fundamental goal, which is to "endow each island with a museum of reference," stressed the Regional Secretary.
 
Avelino Meneses stressed that this purpose is being achieved, namely with the opening of Vila do Porto Museum Centre, the future opening of the Museum of Time, which is the first building of Corvo Ecomuseum, and with the ongoing construction works of the new building of Francisco de Lacerda Museum on S. Jorge.