During a meeting of the Structural Aid Commission on Thursday, an inadequate level of cultural funding was proposed in the National Advance Program, the Culture Ministry said.
The commission rejected the ministry's proposal to earmark about 9 percent of the total EU financial aid for culture, and an agreement was made to leave 4 percent.
Birutis emphasized that the future financial perspective is indeed the last chance for Lithuania to arrange its cultural infrastructure for EU money.
"The financial period of 2014-2020 may be one of the last ones when Lithuania is receiving substantial aid, therefore, we will never get things right, if we don't do it now," the minister told BNS on Friday.
In his words, 9 percent, or 2.5 billion litas (EUR 725m), is the bare minimum the culture sector needs.
