The state budget for the areas under the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture (MoC) – cultural policy, social cohesion, and media policy – will amount to 253.1 million euros in 2026.
A total of 62% of the budget will be allocated for implementing cultural policy measures; 35% will support high-quality cultural education – including the operations of 3 culture-focused higher education institutions, 10 vocational secondary schools, and 150 municipal/private music, art, and dance schools (this also covers salaries of cultural education teachers). Meanwhile, 3% of the total funding will be dedicated to social cohesion and media policy.
An additional 3 million euros in the 2026 MoC budget has been secured for the protection and rescue of cultural heritage in crisis situations, including strengthening cybersecurity in the digital field. A state-backed guarantee scheme has been introduced – state-guaranteed insurance for accredited national museums to host international exhibitions – as well as a simplified procedure for adjusting price lists at national museums. Support to strengthen media capacity has also been preserved to ensure the security of the information space.
Within the allocated budget, the MoC has identified the following key priorities for 2026:
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strengthening preparedness for the protection and rescue of cultural heritage in crisis situations by improving institutional readiness, staff capacity, and cybersecurity;
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safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and ensuring continuity of the Song and Dance Celebration tradition by organising inter-festival activities and developing a sustainable model for festival management;
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preserving, urgently rescuing, and restoring cultural monuments, including the restoration of Riga Cathedral and the monastery ensemble using funds raised through the “Senatnes loterija” lottery operated by Latvian Loto;
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ensuring balanced access to cultural education services, including continued implementation of the “Latvijas skolas soma” programme;
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developing Latvian national cinema by launching animation study programmes at the Art Academy of Latvia and the Latvian Academy of Culture;
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improving accessibility of cultural infrastructure and services across Latvia;
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continuing implementation of the “Riga Philharmonic” project;
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advancing Latvia’s international cultural visibility and competitiveness by promoting achievements in professional arts abroad;
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developing a solution for contemporary dance productions within the Riga Circus programme;
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preparing amendments to donation regulations and revising the Museum and Library Laws, as well as drafting the Architecture Law and the Riga Philharmonic Law.
As previously reported, the Ministry of Finance has prepared and submitted to the government’s 14 October meeting the draft law on the 2026 state budget and the medium-term budget framework for 2026–2028. The budget has been prepared in accordance with EU and national fiscal discipline rules. Consolidated state budget revenues for 2026 are planned at 16.1 billion euros, while expenditures are set at 17.9 billion euros. The 2026 budget is designed to strengthen future security – providing additional investments in national security, support for families with children, and quality education, while maintaining historically high EU fund investments of more than 1 billion euros, as well as an increase of 151.4 million euros in municipal revenues, enhancing national and societal resilience.
Source: km.gov.lv (translated using an artificial intelligence tool)
