Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa introduces diplomas that contribute to the reorganization of cultural heritage management

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, this Friday unveiled the government decrees establishing two bodies to manage the heritage sector, museums, monuments and palaces, hoping that they meet the sector’s expectations.

According to a note published on the website of the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa adopted the Decree-Laws, “hoping that the efforts reflected in the current legislative decisions, in the structure of the Ministry of Culture and in cultural policy, can meet the expectations of the reformist spirit embodied in this sector.”

The diploma establishing the public commercial institution Museus e Monumentos de Portugal and the diploma establishing the public institution of cultural heritage and approving the relevant organization were introduced respectively, the activities of which should officially enter into force on January 1, 2024.

The government approved on 27 July in the Council of Ministers the final version of the Decree-Laws creating two bodies to manage the heritage sector, museums, monuments and palaces, with the announced abolition of the General Directorate of Cultural Affairs. Legacy (DGPC).

The creation of the two bodies, which was announced in June, is linked to a reorganization aimed at “making the management of the nation’s cultural heritage more flexible and efficient,” as explained in a government statement at the time.

At parliamentary hearings held on July 19, Culture Minister Pedro Adao e Silva said the planned reform was intended to “bring life” to Portuguese museums.

This reorganization was announced in June, it was publicly presented in Lisbon and was the subject of public consultation among the representative associations of the sector, and its final wording in the approved decree-laws is awaiting promulgation by the President of the Republic.

According to what was announced in a public presentation on June 23, Museus e Monumentos de Portugal will have its headquarters in Lisbon and will be in charge of museums, palaces and national monuments in charge of national treasures, reference collections and monuments. complexes included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Pedro Adao e Silva told reporters at the time that the creation of a state-owned company would serve to ensure that directors of museums and monuments could increase revenues and receive more management resources.

“The idea of ​​creating a public company is to increase revenues, but not to distribute dividends. This is so that we have the resources to invest in fees, in equipment qualifications, in human resources, and this requires proactive programming. “, said the minister.

This public company will have a board of directors with a president and two members, an advisory board and a board of trustees, whose membership has not been announced.

Cultural Heritage, based in Porto, will be responsible for everything related to the management and protection of the classified cultural heritage or in the process of its classification, will manage the National Center for Marine and Underwater Archeology, the Archaeological Laboratory, the Sakavem Fort, the Archaeological Libraries and Archives.

He will also manage the Fund for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

According to the Ministry of Culture, in 2022, 1,280 employees worked on the area of ​​museums, monuments and palaces under the jurisdiction of the state, of which 834 were assigned to the DGPC and 446 to the regional departments of culture.