8.2 Administration and governance
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Governance
Two of the four main objectives of the Lithuanian Cultural Policy Strategy 2030, adopted in 2019 by Lithuanian Government, are targeted to the accessibility of culture and cultural participation. The first objective is to strengthen the cooperation between the state, municipal and non-governmental sectors, reducing cultural exclusion and inequalities. The objective has to be achieved by accomplishing three tasks: to ensure leadership and proportionality of performed functions within the network of cultural institutions; improve the quality and efficiency of the performance of cultural and art institutions by optimally distributing services across their networks; and to ensure the sustainability of cultural human resources and their equal distribution. The second objective is to stimulate creation and participation in culture. It also comprises three tasks: to develop and foster talents by providing the appropriate conditions for creation in different artistic fields; promote the equal accessibility of high quality and various forms of culture for diverse social groups; and promote the participation in diverse creative activities by lifelong development of cultural competencies.
The third goal of the Lithuanian Cultural Policy Strategy 2030 links the issue of cultural participation to the development of civil society and critical thinking of young people. The tasks of the goal are the following: to strengthen the immunity of citizens and institutions to information threats and their civic activity and knowledge; strengthen people's critical thinking ability and understanding of cultural phenomena; and develop national awareness and cognition of tangible and intangible heritage of modern society.
Before the adoption of the strategy in 2019, the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture already implemented some measures to increase the accessibility of culture and cultural participation. The newest measure is free admission to museums. Since the beginning of 2019, under the initiate of the Ministry of Culture, permanent exhibitions of national and state museums can be visited free of charge every last Sunday of the month. This regulation does not apply to private museums.
In 2018, the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, launched a programme for schoolchildren called Cultural Pass (Kultūros pasas). The aim of the measure is to improve access to cultural and educational projects and events, develop cultural awareness and experience of schoolchildren by providing appropriate cultural and artistic services. The measure provides each pupil with a "cultural passport" worth 15 EUR per school year that could be used for visiting performances, concerts or exhibitions offered by various cultural organisations and selected by expert groups according to the needs of different age groups and other criteria. Depending on the age group, the pupil attends cultural and artistic events either with their class or individually. The range of services that can be chosen per year depends on the price of the service. In 2019, pupils of all age groups were involved in the project. The Lithuanian Ministry of Culture allocated to the measure a total of 4.808 million EUR.
In 2007 (renewed in 2009), the Strategy of Support and Development of the Creative Industries was approved by the Minister of Culture. According to the Strategy, the creative industries include crafts, architecture, design, film and video production, publishing, visual and applied art, music, software and computer services, advertising, Radio and TV programmes and broadcasting, and the performing arts. In 2007, the National Association of Creative / Cultural Industries was established.
Lithuania's Progress Strategy “Lithuania 2030” reflects a national vision and priorities for development as well as guidelines for their implementation by 2030. It is stated in the strategy that the vision of Lithuania is a country with creatively empowered population, and its progress is in the hands of responsible, creative and open-minded people. The implementation of the vision is guided by progress-relevant values, like openness to a different views, positive initiatives, to a dialogue, cooperation, and innovations as well as creativity in generation and implementation of new ideas, treating challenges as new possibilities of building success. The Anexx 2 of the Lithuania's Progress Strategy “Lithuania 2030” has a list of Progress Indicators which will be used to measure the success of the Key Initiatives for Change.
In order to implement Lithuania's Progress Strategy “Lithuania 2030” , The National Progress Program 2014-2020, one of the tasks of which is to promote the development of the cultural and creative industries, with arts and culture related innovations, cross-sectoral development of these innovations and cultural export. To achieve this, the need to promote creativity is highlighted through promoting and the introduction of new products into production, improve access to culture and the arts products and services, as well as creating financial incentives for entrepreneurship in the areas of cultural and creative industries development promoting distribution across borders, supporting the development, use and promotion of new products and services and cross-sectoral cooperation. It should be noted that by 2020 it is planned to pay more attention cultural development and creativity in the regions. The Program for the Development of Regional Development for the period 2012-2020 also aims at "creating conditions for creativity in the regions" the full range of personality development, cultural diversity, dissemination and accessibility as a regional social the basis of economic progress, to develop civic self-awareness, fostering regional excellence and attractiveness. In 2012, the government passed the Resolution on the Programme of National Advancement for the years 2014-2020, which included the horizontal priority "Education of society, science and culture". Through this document, culture became an important sector for social life, science, the economy, technology, ecology, etc. issues.
In 2010s several universities (e.g. Department of Creative Communication and Department of Entertainment Industries (established in 2017) at the Faculty of Creative Industries at VGTU) and colleges in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda launched the Training Programmes of Creative / Cultural industries with the aim to educate specialists in advertising, marketing, public relations, multimedia, TV, publishing and the communication sectors.
Over the past years, positive approaches to the creative industries were promoted in a series of international conferences and the publications of several research studies on the topic (e.g. "Creative industries in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania", 2010, 2011). In 2008, the study on "The Creative and Cultural Industries of Lithuania" revealed the situation and tendencies of the creative industries development in Lithuania. An international conference on the cultural and creative industries "Mainstreaming Culture" took place on 1 October 2012 in Vilnius with the aim of promoting efforts to mainstream culture in a variety of policy areas and to highlight the relevance of culture in relation to innovation, education, social, economic and environmental policy on the local and national level.
The National Association of Creative and Cultural Industries was established to support cooperation between artists, culture and art organisations, NGOs, businesses, science and educational sectors, and support their participation in regional and international networks and workshops, and to stimulate the creative industries in Lithuania. The art incubators became a popular form to develop arts and business joint activities.
In general the Department of Youth Affairs within the the Ministry of Social Security and Labour is primarily responsible for youth and/or youth programming and this includes cross-sectorial mechanisms of cooperation. The Department of Youth Affairs coordinates and organizes committees on monitoring specific policy measures while the Ministry of Social Security and Labour is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the National youth policy development program for 2011-2019 through Action Plan for the period of 2017-2019. In this Action Plan specific objectives, actions, terms of implementation, budget allocations and responsible institutions for its implementation are indicated. Collaboration between ministries and stakeholders does exist to varying degrees and on different levels. Intersectoral committees have successfully been set up to manage ongoing policy processes. In general, the Ministry of Social Security, the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Culture handles youth and creativity issues.