The director of the antiquities department Dr George Georgiou has warned that continued cuts to its budget will have consequences for the protection of Cyprus’ cultural heritage.

“The continued compression of spending on antiquities will not be without a price,” Georgiou told the House finance committee, accusing the government of using “creative accounting” to present the department’s reduced funding.

The deputy ministry’s proposed budget for next year stands at €64.3 million, down from its present allowance of €65.7 million, however, Deputy Minister Clea Hadjistefanou Papaellina said the previous year’s allocation included €2.2 million for cultural events during Cyprus’ EU council presidency.

Excluding that amount, the next year’s budget represents an increase of €820,000, she said.

The antiquities department has been allocated €23.6 million, including €19.9 million in recurrent expenditure and €3.8 million for development projects.

Akel MP Christos Christofides questioned the government’s commitment to culture, saying the Deputy Ministry’s share of the state budget had fallen from 0.62 per cent to 0.45 per cent.

He also criticised reductions in funding for cultural grant programmes, including support for theatre productions and contemporary cultural creation.

Christofides said Cyprus ranked near the bottom in Europe in terms of the proportion of public spending devoted to culture.

The ‘contemporary culture department’ is set to receive €21.1 million, of which €15.6 million is earmarked for development expenditure.

Its director, Ioanna Hadjicosti, said €300,000 had been cut from sponsorship programmes, with reductions spread across the various schemes.

Papaellina defended the ministry’s use of its available resources, saying they were being fully utilised to modernise cultural infrastructure and protect the island’s heritage.

She also said the ministry was reviewing sponsorship criteria in response to feedback from cultural organisations.

The committee also heard that completion of the new archaeological museum has been delayed to February 3, 2027, representing a 209-day extension to the original timetable.

Director general George Papageorgiou said a further 18 months will be required to transfer antiquities into the building,

She also confirmed that the ministry’s annual contribution to Limassol’s Rialto Theatre was €120,000, with state funding due to end by 2029 under the agreement with the municipality.

“Thirty percent, we won’t consent” chants echoed across Schuman roundabout in the Brussels European quarter this week, as culture, media and journalist workers demanded that national leaders halt plans to reduce cash for culture in a protest on Thursday (29 October).

Representatives from European rights forums, culture groups and a journalism federation gathered in a bid to keep enough money flowing to their organisations.

“There’s a very grim future if we continue with these cuts,” said Rhys Nugent of Culture Action Europe, one of the protest’s organisers. “These sectors are already on their knees.”

The demonstration came after EU leaders discussed giving less money than previously proposed to AgoraEU, an umbrella for culture, media, democracy and rights initiatives, within the EU’s 2028-2034 budget.

30% less for culture

Reacting to the EU Commission’s proposal to give AgoraEU €8.6bn under the long-term budget, the EU parliament’s budget committee asked to ramp this up to €10.7bn.

But national capitals have not agreed to either proposal.

Instead, the Irish presidency of Council presented a plan earlier this month (October 10) to allocate €5.3bn for AgoraEU –  representing a 30 percent cut to the commission’s proposal. It was responding to pressures for frugality from some member states.

National capitals are yet to finalise a budget agreement.

“They picked culture because they think it’s an easy target, but it will affect journalists, artists and NGOs who are the backbone of our democratic society” said Nela Reihl, a German Green MEP and chair of parliament’s culture and education committee.

“If this goes through, people will wake up one day and ask: why are my rights not protected? Why has that film festival disappeared? Where has my local publisher gone?” she said.

“These cuts will save only a tiny percent of the EU budget but cause massive damage to these sectors,” added the German lawmaker. 

What could be chopped?

AgoraEU is a new umbrella for Creative Europe and Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV).

Protest organiser Nugent said Creative Europe “funds everything from small theatrical productions to large cooperation around Europe.”

He pointed to Flow, an Oscar-winning film, Europa Cinemas, and Culture Moves Europe as examples of the types of bodies that could be affected by a lack of EU funding.

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© Photograph: Darren Staples/PA

© Photograph: Darren Staples/PA

© Photograph: Darren Staples/PA