Spanish government to merge culture, education departments

Jose Ignacio Wert, a well known sociologist, has been appointed as the new Minister of Culture in Spain.

The new announcement came one day after Mariano Rajoy, from rightist party PP, took over as the new prime minister of Spain after winning the elections with a vast majority.

The department of culture is to be merged with education and sports, a move that has been justified for economic reasons due to the deep crisis in the country.

In his first statements, Wert has suggested that he will promote private sponsorship rather than public funds, the traditional way of financing Spanish Cinema, as well as promising to protect intellectual property.

“We will have to do more with less. There will be less culture of the subvention”, Mr. Wert said to newspaper El Mundo. “One of our first priorities will be to develop the patronage law”, he added.

After taking possession this morning, Wert admitted that his priority will be education and referred to the polemic law against Internet Piracy, that was not approved by the last socialist Government after a bitter controversy. The failed law is known as Law Sinde as it was promoted by the last Minister of Culture, Miss Angeles González Sinde, a filmmaker herself. Mr Wert said that this law is a “burden” and promised to protect intellectual property.

Spain is one of the countries most affected by piracy all over the world. A recent report made by the cultural industry estimated a total loss of 14.5 bn for the Entertainment Industry between June 2010-june 2011 and an  increase of 25% during that period.