The Ministry of Culture (MC) cooperates with other ministries and with the Office of the Government of the CR to fulfil the goals of their cultural policy – be it representation in internal advisory bodies or intergovernmental groups. It also cooperates on legislative drafts and other documents from other bodies. The most frequent collaboration occurs among these bodies:
- Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS),
- Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT),
- Ministry for Regional Development,
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
- Ministry of Finance, and
- The Office of the Government.
Cooperation with the MEYS occurs mostly in the field of extracurricular children’s and youth activities and in the field of education. In 2000 the MC and the MEYS established an Inter-Ministerial Committee for extracurricular artistic activities for children and youth, for education through art, for art and cultural heritage, and for education in the arts. The committee was cancelled after three years due to passivity on the part of MEYS. In 2011 cooperation was re-established. In September 2011 the Inter-Ministerial Discussion Forum on Education in the Arts and the Role of Cultural Organisations was organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs as a follow up to the outcome of the Second UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education in Seoul and Bonn. And in 2014 a round table was organised in cooperation with the Czech Committee of UNESCO on the subject Formal and Informal Education in the Arts and a round table on the Role of the Media in Education in the Arts (see chapter 5.1.). In September 2021, a Memorandum on inter-ministerial cooperation was concluded between the MC and the MEYS. The Memorandum mainly concerns the cooperation of libraries and other cultural and memory institutions with schools and educational institutions in the field of cultural awareness and reading, information and media literacy. The implementation of the key themes of the Memorandum is to be ensured by an inter-ministerial working group, which is to evaluate the implementation of the Memorandum on an annual basis.
In recent years deeper cooperation has been established with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) and in 2019 a Memorandum of Cooperation between the MC and MIT was signed for the purpose of creating and implementing strategies of development and support for the cultural and creative industries. The main aim of this memorandum was to contribute to the development of creativity in the field of culture and business and to increase the competitiveness of domestic cultural and creative industries through inter-ministerial instruments of support (see chapter 3.5.1). Cooperation between these two ministries was crucial during the pandemic, when a joint compensation programme COVID-Culture (for business entities and self-employed persons in the cultural sector) was established (see also chapter 2.9.).
The Council for Research of the Minister of Culture is a body that works under the MC and is composed of representatives nominated by the Research and Development Council, the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Council for Higher Education Institutions, and the Czech Rectors Conference. Its purpose is to fulfil the Inter-Ministerial Concept of Applied Research and Development on National and Cultural Identity from 2016 to 2022 in conformity with Government Resolution No. 1268 from 2013.
The MC closely collaborates also with the Ministry for Regional Development, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Finance in the utilisation of finances from the Structural Funds, but also in other overlapping matters.
The MC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs collaborate in the conclusion of international treaties and the implementation of plans for cultural agreements and in the preparation of big cultural events and shows. MC candidates are represented in the advisory bodies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; for example, when preparing the EXPO exhibition. The UNESCO department at the MC participates in activities of the Czech Committee for UNESCO at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Important partners of the MC include some advisory and working bodies of the government of the CR; their activity is overseen by the Office of the Government. These bodies include the Government Council for National Minorities, the Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organisations, the Government Council for Human Rights, the Inter-ministerial Commission for Roma Community Affairs or/and the Government Board for Persons with Disabilities. The MC also collaborates with regional and local authorities through their structures, like the Association of Regions of the CR and the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the CR. Regional and local authorities are the appeal body for strategic documents of the MC and they are represented in some advisory bodies of the Minister of Culture.
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