BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. Grant financing of projects in the field of culture will be implemented in accordance with the law "On grants" in Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
This issue is reflected in the draft law on amendments to the law "On culture", discussed at today's meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture.
According to the draft law, grant financing of projects in the field of culture will be implemented in accordance with the law "On grants" for the purpose of stimulating innovative activities and research aimed at the development and improvement of the quality of cultural services, as well as cultural and creative industries, developing the infrastructure of cultural institutions, as well as raising awareness in the field of culture.
The procedure for holding competitions for grant financing of projects in the field of culture will be determined by the body (institution) determined by the relevant executive authority.
The discussion noted that although the law "On grants" doesn't establish any restrictions on the provision of grants to legal entities and individuals, the "Rules for state financing of events in the field of culture by non-governmental organizations (NGOs)" determine the procedure for financing events in the field of culture only for NGOs.
The discussion emphasized the necessity to approve a special rule for the implementation of regulations on grant financing of cultural events, in addition to NGOs, other types of legal entities, and individuals.
Taking into account the above, a draft law on amendments to the law "On culture" has been prepared in order to determine the procedure for holding competitions on grant financing of cultural projects.
At the same time, although the mentioned law contains regulations on the creative industry, this expression has not been defined. The expression "cultural and creative industry" was used in the Action Plan of the "Socio-economic Development Strategy for 2022-2026", the "Azerbaijani Culture - 2040 Cultural Concept", and other documents. In this regard, the draft also envisages the definition of "cultural and creative industry".