Senate passes budget bill: here are measures for culture and tourism

The Budget Law 2025 has been approved by the Senate: with 108 votes in favor, 63 against and one abstention, the maneuver, worth 30 billion in all, became law by getting the green light from Palazzo Madama. Let’s take a detailed look at the main measures for culture and tourism contained in the “State budget for the financial year 2025 and multi-year budget for the three-year period 2025-2027.”

Spending review: more than half a billion in cuts to the Ministry of Culture

The Ministry of Culture will suffer reductions of 147.6 million in 2025, 178.1 million in 2026, and 204.08 in 2027. The bulk of the cuts (144.05, 176.54 and 202.56) will be concentrated on the mission “Protection and Enhancement of Cultural and Landscape Heritage and Activities,” particularly under the heading “Planning and Allocation of Resources for the Protection of Cultural Heritage” (100.9, 139.77 and 167.02). For the Ministry of Tourism, the cuts are 69.39 million in 2025, 46.43 in 2026 and 40.38 in 2027. The bulk of the reductions are concentrated on “Strategic promotion and enhancement of national tourism offerings and innovation” (68.27, 45.30 and 39.30).

Renewal of fixed-term contracts of the Ministry of Culture

In order to strengthen the administrative capacity of public administrations, ensuring operational needs and guaranteeing services to citizens, fixed-term employment contracts of personnel employed by the Ministry of Culture and two other ministries, namely the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education and Merit, may be renewed for a period not exceeding 12 months beyond the stipulated term (Paragraph 134).

Accessibility of property restored with the 2021 Restoration Fund.

Paragraph 593 introduces a new subsection to Decree Law No. 73 of May 25, 2021, which introduced the Restoration Fund. According to the new subsection, properties restored or subjected to other conservation interventions with the total or partial contribution of the State in the expenditure from the resources of the Fund, constituting cultural heritage, are made accessible to the public in accordance with the procedures provided for under Article 38 of the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape.

Endorsement of the MEF on the Great Cultural Heritage Projects Plan.

Paragraph 598 stipulates that the Great Cultural Heritage Projects Strategic Plan, adopted by December 31 each year, from next year will be adopted by decree of the Ministry of Culture in consultation with the Ministry of Economy (previously, the MEF was not heard).

Fund for the Eighty Years of Resistance

To enable the promotion and conduct of initiatives for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Resistance and liberation war, the Republic and women’s vote, and the Constitution, a fund with an endowment of 700,000 euros annually is established at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, starting from the year 2025 (Paragraph 599). The fund is intended to finance initiatives promoted by the Italian Confederation of Combatant and Partisan Associations.

Matteotti House Fund.

As part of the initiatives to celebrate the figure of Giacomo Matteotti, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death, in order to promote and enhance the knowledge and study of his work and thought nationally and internationally, a Fund for Matteotti’s House Museum in the province of Rovigo is established in the estimate of the Ministry of Culture, with an endowment of 300,000 euros annually from the year 2025 (paragraph 601). Resources for the 80 Years of Resistance Fund and the Matteotti Fund will come (Paragraph 603) from corresponding reductions in the fund for unavoidable emergencies established by the 2025 Budget Law (l. Dec. 23, 2014 No. 190).

Funds for historic carnivals.

In order to support the protection and enhancement of historic carnivals with recognized cultural identity, a fund is established in the budget of the Ministry of Culture with an allocation of 1.5 million euros annually as of 2025. With a decree of the Minister of Culture, to be adopted within ninety days from the date of entry into force of this law, after agreement in the Permanent Conference for relations between the State, regions and autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, the criteria and procedures for access to the fund referred to in the first period shall be established (Paragraph 604).

Funds for festivals, choirs and bands

In order to support the sector of festivals, choirs and music bands, a fund is established in the budget of the Ministry of Culture with an endowment of 1.5 million euros annually as of 2025. With a decree of the Minister of Culture, to be adopted within ninety days from the date of entry into force of this law, after agreement in the Permanent Conference for relations between the State, regions and autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, the criteria and procedures for access to the fund referred to in the first period shall be established (Paragraph 605).

Funds for lyric-symphonic foundations.

In order to ensure the revitalization and strengthening of the opera-symphonic sector and to guarantee the stability of the sector, also due to the renewal of the national collective labor contract of the staff, as of the year 2025 a share of the National Fund for live entertainment, referred to in Law 163 of April 30, 1985, allocated to the opera-symphonic foundations, in the amount of 8 million euros, is allocated as follows: 750.000 euros in favor of the Petruzzelli and Teatri di Bari Lyric-Symphonic Foundation, in order to strengthen its institutional operations; 7,250,000 euros, in favor of the fourteen lyric-symphonic foundations, based on the average of the percentages established for the three-year period 2022-2024 (Paragraph 606). The remaining portion of the National Fund for Live Performing Arts for opera and symphony foundations, amounting to 192 million euros, is allocated in the year 2025 to all opera and symphony foundations for the implementation of institutional activities in consideration of the average of the percentages identified from the National Fund for Live Performing Arts for the three-year period 2022-2024. The opera-symphony foundations shall, by June 30, 2025, send a report to the Ministry of Culture on their activities in the year 2024.

Increase in the National Fund for Live Performing Arts.

The National Fund for Live Performing Arts, referred to in Law 163 of April 30, 1985, is increased by 500,000 euros for the year 2025 and 1 million euros for each of the years 2026 and 2027 (Paragraph 608). The increase is financed through corresponding reductions in the fund for unavoidable emergencies established by the Finance Act of 2025 (l. Dec. 23, 2014 No. 190).

Fund for the promotion of theater in prisons

To encourage the promotion and support of theatrical activities in penitentiary institutions, a fund for the promotion and support of theatrical activities in penitentiary institutions is established in the budget of the Ministry of Justice. theater in penitentiary institutions, with an allocation of 500,000 euros for each of the years 2025, 2026 and 2027, to be used for the recovery and social and labor reintegration of inmates, so as to facilitate their re-entry into civil society through the promotion of training and cultural paths that encourage the acquisition of new skills in the various theater professions. The fund is financed through corresponding reductions in the fund for unavoidable emergencies established by the Finance Act of 2025 (l. Dec. 23, 2014 No. 190).

1.5 million for the photography development plan.

For the purpose of implementing the Strategic Plan for the Development of Photography in Italy and abroad, the expenditure of 1.5 million euros annually from the year 2025 is authorized.

National Committee for the bicentenary of the death of Alessandro Volta.

The Republic, within the scope of the purposes of promoting the development of culture and scientific research, safeguarding and enhancing the Italian cultural tradition as well as protecting the historical and artistic heritage of the Nation, attributed to it by the Constitution, shall celebrate the figure of Alessandro Volta on the occasion of the second centenary of his death, which falls in the year 2027. For this purpose, the National Committee for the celebration of the bicentennial of the death of Alessandro Volta is established, to which a contribution of 2 million euros is allocated for each of the years 2025, 2026 and 2027. By decree of the President of the Council of Ministers or the Delegated Political Authority on Technological Innovation, in consultation with the Minister of Culture and the Delegated Political Authority on anniversaries of national interest, the criteria for the annual allocation and distribution of the contribution shall be established, within the limits of the resources authorized for each year and due to the needs related to the activities planned by the National Committee. The National Committee has the task of drawing up a cultural program relating to the life, work and places linked to the figure of Alessandro Volta, including activities of restoration of movable or immovable things subject to protection under the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape, as well as activities of research, publishing, training, exhibitions and the organization and management of events in the cultural, historical and scientific fields of high value, in a perspective of internationalization and technological innovation aimed at promoting the development of research, projects and experimentation of innovative interventions under the technological profile in the fields of energy, communications, information and other subjects of reference of the initiative that constitute the most significant application areas related to Volta’s discoveries, in order to disseminate in Italy and abroad, including through digital platforms, knowledge of the thought, work and legacy of the figure of Alessandro Volta to be transmitted, in particular, also to the younger generations.

Funds for the restoration of cultural heritage damaged by the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake.

To enable restoration and consolidation works on cultural heritage damaged by the April 6, 2009 earthquake, a fund with an allocation of 500,000 euros for each of the years 2025, 2026 and 2027 is established in the budget of the Ministry of Culture. The resources are earmarked for interventions on churches outside the crater financed by CIPE Resolution No. 77/2015 of August 6, 2015, published in the Official Gazette No. 268 of November 17, 2015, for which the executive projects are already entrusted on the date of entry into force of this law and in relation to them additional critical issues have arisen, ascertained through investigations preparatory to the executive design, which result in an increase in the costs for the completion of the interventions themselves (paragraph 674). The fund is financed through corresponding reductions in the fund for unavoidable emergencies established by the Finance Act of 2025 (l. Dec. 23, 2014 No. 190).

Funds for post-earthquake reconstruction in Marche and Umbria.

To start the reconstruction processes following the seismic events that struck the territory of the Marche region on November 9, 2022, and the territory of the Umbria region on March 9, 2023, for which a state of emergency of national importance was declared, spending is authorized in the limit of 5 million euros for the year 2025 and 7 million euros for the year 2026 for planning activities (Paragraph 677). The resources will come from corresponding reductions in the Fund for Structural Economic Policy Interventions, referred to in Article 10, Paragraph 5, of the Decree-Law of November 29, 2004.

Supplementary treatment for tourism workers

In order to ensure employment stability and to make up for the exceptional lack of labor supply in the tourism, hospitality and spa sector, for the period from January 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025, workers in food and beverage establishments, and workers in the tourism sector, including spas, shall be granted a special supplementary allowance, which does not contribute to income, equal to 15 percent of the gross wages paid in connection with night work and overtime (Paragraph 395).

Facilities for investments and interventions in the tourism sector

In order to support the development of tourism offerings in the national territory, including through interventions capable of promoting the seasonal adjustment of tourist flows, digitization of the tourism ecosystem, tourism supply chains, investments for compliance with environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and sustainable tourism, by a decree of a non-regulatory nature adopted by the Minister of Tourism, in consultation with the Minister of Economy and Finance, after agreement in the Permanent Conference for relations between the State, regions and autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, having heard the national trade unions comparatively more representative of companies in the sector, within sixty days from the date of entry into force of the law, the criteria, conditions and procedures for the granting of financial facilities to support private investments and for the implementation of complementary and functional interventions to them are established (Paragraph 502).

Senate passes budget bill: here are measures for culture and tourism

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.