Policy Profile Czechia
Czech Republic is a member state of the European Union and is therefore required to implement all EU directives, laws, regulations and policies, including those related to heritage and culture.
The European Commission has a Representation Office in Prague and the European Parliament has a Liaison Office in Prague. The Czech Government has a Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels.
The Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (Ministerstvo kultury České republiky) is the centralised government authority for culture. Cultural policies have been mainstreamed across other ministries: the Ministry of Industry and Trade has capacities linked to creativity and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has capacities linked to education and culture. The Parliament also plays a role in the cultural framework of the country. The Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions of the Senate contributes to the development of cultural legislation. Within the Chamber of Deputies, the Committee for Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sports is responsible for the ongoing control of public cultural entities and agencies and their budget.
The work of the Government is supported by agencies including the National Information and Consulting Centre for Culture (NIPOS) reinforcing cultural development, the Arts and Theatre Institute (Institut umění – divadelní ústav) which focuses on supporting intangible heritage, and the National Heritage Institute (NPU) which fosters cooperation, and carries out expert tasks related to state heritage conservation. Finally, the National Institute of Folklore Culture (NULK) promotes traditional Czech culture at home and abroad.
Regional and local authorities have an important role to play in the cultural sector. Since 1990, the role of the state in culture has diminished, giving more power to the regions. Regional and local authorities can develop their own cultural strategies, which must align with the state cultural policy.
View all Czech Republic policies gathered so far
* = This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence