Cultural heritage in danger

On Tuesday the Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti presented the latest state budget which foresees cuts in the area of culture up to 2011. At the same time cultural assets are increasingly passing into private hands. The left-wing daily L'Unità fears for Italy's cultural heritage. "Italy is declining and falling behind the industrialised countries that see culture as a social investment rather than an area that generates costs to be cut. [Through this measure] the ministry has become a perfectly futile apparatus that is destroying itself with the salaries of its employees. ... Cultural tourism has been dealt a fatal blow. This is a great step towards boosting the ailing economy of a country for which cultural tourism represents a main source of income. ... The cuts in funding for police commandos leave the door wide open for art thieves and in particular plunderers of archaeological excavation sites. ...This is the end of culture as a fundamental value for all."

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