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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Government to invest €65 million in culture and religious facilities

Belgrade, 2 August 2006

Serbian Minister of Finance Mladjan Dinkic announced today that as part of the National Investment Plan the government will invest €50 million in modernisation and renewal of culture facilities and €15 million in the construction and reconstruction of religious facilities.

Mladjan Dinkic

Dinkic told a press conference that 109 culture projects will be carried out, the biggest of which will be the reconstruction of the National Museum and the National Library of Serbia, for which €8.85 million will be set aside in the upcoming18 months.

The government will spend €22.106 million in the reconstruction and modernisation of national cultural institutions, and €14.776 million in the reconstruction of theatres, cinemas and culture centres, said the Minister.

According to Dinkic, €1.333 million will be used to purchase instruments for the Philharmonic Orchestra, theatres and military orchestras and another €2.943 million for the reconstruction of local museums and libraries.

Dinkic stressed there will also be investments in two religious projects of capital importance, namely the completion of the St. Sava's Temple in Vracar and reconstruction of the Zica monastery, in which €1 million and €2.275 million respectively will be invested.

Milan Radulovic

Serbian Minister of Religion Milan Radulovic pointed out that €15 million is to be allocated for the reconstruction of religious facilities represents more funds invested in these facilities than ever before in the past 65 years.

Radulovic said that €3.981 million will be set aside for the construction and reconstruction of religious cultural heritage (churches, synagogues, bishoprics), whereas €3.46 million will be invested in monasteries in Serbia, as well as Serbian monasteries situated in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

Dragan Kojadinovic

Serbian Minister of Culture Dragan Kojadinovic said that the reconstruction and modernisation of cultural facilities necessitates an investment of around €160 million, adding that the €50 million investment is the first step towards achieving this goal.

He said that in the past 28 months, more than €20 million has been invested in cultural facilities, adding that the reconstruction of the National Museum in Belgrade will be the biggest investment in the upcoming period.

Ministers Dinkic, Radulovic and Kojadinovic agreed that investing in cultural development and religious facilities will help improve the overall living standard of citizens, develop the economy and tourism and lead to general social progress.

Dinkic recalled that the Serbian government adopted a rulebook on the supervision of funds to be invested in the projects envisioned by the investment programme. The team in charge of the supervision will include government representatives, as well as experts and representatives of the Serbian President.