Rio, 6/24/2003 (Agência Brasil-ABr) - The cultural area could get more financial resources through the creation of state and municipal funds and greater autonomy for the national cultural fund, says minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil. Today the latter is linked to the ministries of Finance and Planning.

In a meeting at the American Chamber of Commerce in Rio de Janeiro, minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, announced that he seeks a significant increase in his own budget so that he can be more agile and timely in assisting projects all around the country, as well as free of having to depend on cultural events getting tax breaks, and companies having money to spare for them.

Gil said he wants a strong federal cultural fund that would be a direct, independent, ad referendum source of funding at the Ministry of Culture. He said he would also like to see a network of funds throughout the country as part of a national cultural management system.

Gil declared he thought it was possible to eliminate the link between the federal cultural fund and the ministries of Finance and Planning, and that he had discussed the matter with Guido Mantega (minister of Planning) and president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He still has to meet with minister of Finance, Antonio Palocci. The federal cultural fund had some R$100 million, which was the victim of a budget cut earlier this year. However, part of that money should be reallocated and released to the ministry in July. (AB)