The Regional Government defends that public support to cultural activities and agents should "be regarded as an investment in the creativity and quality of projects," said the Regional Secretary for Education, Science and Culture in Horta.

Speaking at the Legislative Assembly during the debate on the proposal amending the legal scheme on the support to cultural activities, Luiz Fagundes Duarte considered that these changes will reward "the efforts to promote this area by reinforcing proactivity and the interaction between different agents, regardless of operating in different areas, in order to bring added value to the Region."

"Our goal is to create the conditions to streamline the application procedures, make the decision-making more transparent and promote quality. In this regard, we intend to distinguish agents in accordance with their capacities, taking into account the respective contexts and the relevance of their projects," stressed Luiz Fagundes Duarte.

In his speech, the Regional Secretary mentioned that the Azorean Government intends to introduce "some amendments" to the regional legislation as well as to its "internal structure."

Luiz Fagundes Duarte stated that these changes are of "strategic and structural" nature, being intended to provide a "systematic and holistic view" to the document that has been in force since 2006.

"It is critical that all cultural operators be treated on equal terms regarding the access to public funding and accountability, which, according to the Government, goes far beyond the mere provision of evidence of expenditure," said the government official.

Luiz Fagundes Duarte stressed that the support will be always "granted in the form of a subsidy with the aim of encouraging cultural agents to look for, within their possibilities, other funding sources." In addition, "the allocation of funds will be subject to the signing of contract and protocols defining the obligations of both parties."

The Regional Secretary for Education, Science and Culture announced that as soon as the legal document enters into force, the Government will regulate the criteria on the application, evaluation and decision procedures for the Regional Support Programme to Recreational Societies and Philharmonic Bands in the Autonomous region of the Azores, an initiative created earlier this year.