prime minister Sanna Marin (SDP) has criticized its Minister of Culture Antti Kurvinen (Cen) that he has published a list of spending cuts, even though he knew the government was already redesigning them.
"I would have liked us not to upset the industry and its players this week, because we are going to resolve this situation anyway," said Marin.
Kurvinen announced the cuts on Tuesday, but on Thursday the leaders of three of the five government parties had said they wanted it again.
Expenditure on youth work, arts, sports and culture would be reduced in line with Kurvinen’s 2022 spending plan, which included EUR 43 million in cuts in culture, science, art, youth work and sport.
The largest single cut of € 18.4 million was in art and culture.
A “cautious message” to the sector
They are due to a decrease in the income of the state betting and lottery agency Veikkaus, whose profits are directed to the financing of cultural and sports activities together with non-governmental organizations.
Marin said that when Kurvinen invited cultural organizations to hear about the spending cut list, he knew five government party leaders were going to reconsider the plan.
The five will meet on Friday at a meeting agreed by the leader of the Center Party Annika Saarikko and Marin last week. On Friday, Kurvinen sent an invitation to announce the cuts, which apparently could not be carried out.
"Personally, I have been quite careful about the message it sends to the cultural sector when coalition party leaders resolve this issue anyway," said Marin.
No promises
Kurvinen, for his part, says his ministry had received a request from Parliament for the list, so it will be published anyway.
On Thursday, Saarikko, who is the finance minister and director of the center, said he could not promise that all the cuts would be canceled.
The government’s distributions had become publicly visible on Thursday when Marin tweeted his desire to translate them.
"I say it straight," has tweeted Marin. "The SDP wants to reverse these cuts in the cultural sector. We also need to address the situation of other organizations and beneficiaries."
On Wednesday night, Li Andersson, leader of the Left Alliance, had appeared on Yle’s A-Studio program and called for the cuts to be canceled. On Thursday, Green President Maria Ohisalo joined the choir, saying her party wants funding to be maintained.
The Central Party, for its part, criticized the Prime Minister. Jouni Ovaska, Member of Parliament for the Center from Pirkanmaa, has tweeted "I say it directly. Your credibility drops."
Two other MPs from the center also sent out press releases criticizing the prime minister, while Marin himself said governments had agreed in principle to reassess the cuts before Kurvinen announced his plans.
The cuts were widely criticized by the cultural sector and threatened job losses and shrinking services due to austerity measures.
Source: The Nordic Page