MiBAC tries to defend itself (through offices) against attacks on reform: "Museums will remain autonomous"

After the rain of accusations and criticism that has swept over the Minister of Cultural Heritage Alberto Bonisoli following the reform approved and partly implemented a few days before the resignation of Prime Minister Conte, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage is attempting a defense. However, not through the words of the minister, who for now is silent on the reform and makes very few comments, mostly limited to a few stances on his Facebook page, but through thepress office, which released a note on the issue yesterday.

The text states that the minister clarifies that “the implementing decree of the Regulation of Organization of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, approved in the Council of Ministers on June 19, 2019, published in the Official Gazette on August 7, 2019, No. 184, and signed by the minister in the full exercise of his functions, and a due act as it is aimed at the regulation of the same DPCM that comes into force today, provides that museums remain autonomous.” The directors, the statement says, “retain the same spending and management capacity.” And again, “scientific autonomy is strengthened, in fact, a member of the municipality where the museum is located will enter the scientific committees and one member will be appointed directly by the museum director. Museum Boards were abolished in order to simplify, as their opinions were already being approved by the central directorate anyway. Thus, the rationale of the reorganization decree is to rationalize and simplify the management of sites, but it does not close the sites’ autonomy. Precisely for this reason, the reorganization decree in defining in Article 29 which institutes are endowed with autonomy expressly provides for the possibility of creating new ones by further ministerial decrees to be adopted in implementation of the reform. Bonisoli himself on several public occasions has affirmed the willingness to establish new ones, at zero cost, as in the case of the Vittoriano.”

The minister of cultural heritage then let it be known that, in order to rebalance the gap due to mergers and which will affect small museums, the solidarity fund will be raised from the current 20 percent to 25 percent. In addition, in specific cases, the quota may be higher. “This is the conclusion,” Bonisoli explained, “of the process begun months ago, which aims to give the right support and attention and care to smaller but no less important museums.” The press office let it be known in a note that the decree increasing the solidarity fund by five percentage points has already been signed.

Pictured: the Collegio Romano, headquarters of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. Ph. Credit Finestre Sull’Arte.

MiBAC tries to defend itself (through offices) against attacks on reform: "Museums will remain autonomous"

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