Ernest Urtasun (Barcelona, 1982) has barely installed a small poster of a musician he admires, the Galician singer Xoel López, in his new office in Plaça del Rey in Madrid. The space is still presided over by the work of Ouka Leele that was hung by his predecessor, Miquel Iceta, and there are sports memorabilia in a ministry that has lost its powers. Declared anti-bullfighting, Urtasun's arrival at Cultura has alerted the world of bullfighting, which has even invited him to a bullfight, and as soon as he arrived he was embroiled in a strange controversy with the Community of Madrid , who has accused him of wanting to dismantle the Prado for a program that the museum itself created a year ago to better manage the funds it has in deposit throughout Spain, in some cases for more than a century. Urtasun assures that he wants to be a "protectionist" minister, that his bet is for rights to access and the practice of culture, that his first law will be that of Cinema and that in the face of censorship he will always be on the side of creators whose precariousness, he says, he knows well.
Although he didn't want to leave now, his predecessor came to Cultura unwillingly. How did you get there?
It was one of Sumar's priorities this term, we were very clear that Culture was one of the portfolios we wanted. Taking care of the culture of this country, which is a fundamental sector, linked to the new cultural rights and to a very important industry. It seemed to us that we could contribute a lot.
Anti-taurí communist, representative of the Catalan ecopija left, did he expect such a harsh media reception?
There are sectors of the right in Spain that cannot stand the existence of a progressive coalition government and react virulently to any presence of ours in the Government. They have to get used to it. There is a coalition government and the presence of Sumar in the Government for many years.
Are bulls culture? They are in his ministry, which gives a national Bullfighting award.
My position on bullfighting is well known. Traditions, like everything in life, evolve. I believe that there is a majority of Spanish society that does not agree with animal torture and from there the decisions that are taken, I can guarantee you, will be based on dialogue and listening to everyone.
At the inauguration he pointed out that today there is more interest in culture wars than in culture. What role should the leading ministry play here?
Culture will be a fundamental element of strengthening democracy in our country. And from this point of view I think there are great things to do. First of all, we want to give a lot of support to cultural creation. There is a lack of support. These are not only scholarships, they are also spaces for creation. We will focus on this. Secondly, we are clear that culture is an important industry in this country. And it is not only GDP, but also what allows our artists to express themselves. Therefore, we will take great care of her, we will protect her. In the globalized and liberalized world, I want to be a protectionist minister for the cultural industry and Spanish creation. And then there is access to culture. Public cultural policies in Europe have evolved towards the centrality of cultural rights. The ability for citizens to be receivers but also emitters of culture will be at the center of my management. And we will also develop these issues with the defense of cultural heritage in Spain, of museums. All these things largely constitute democracy in Spain.
Do you want it to be a more combative, more political ministry?
When you take over a ministry, you take over the management of what is public, of common goods, of shared welfare, this is obviously political. I will try to be a minister who fosters consensus, it is my way of working: I am, I believe, very dialogic. In the European Parliament I am used to closing agreements with people who think very differently. That is what I will try to do, but I will also push forward with initiatives that are very important to me.
Is culture at the center of the battlefield today?
I quoted Semprún at the inauguration because it is the expression of who we are as Europeans and what we have inherited. What we have inherited is culture as a pillar of our democracy. The fight against barbarism and the defeat of Nazism after the Second World War is what has defined and built our democracies from culture. Today, reactionary forces are advancing across Europe and fundamental pillars of democracy are being questioned. I have seen in Brussels how the Hungarian government closed universities, how associations and journalists were persecuted. We have a fight in defense of democracy in Europe in which the Spanish Government plays a very important role as one of the most progressive and pro-European. And culture will be one of the elements to strengthen democracy.
How is all this financed? Will the budget grow?
We will open a dialogue with the communities, who have the competence transferred in cultural matters, but also with the Treasury, to see how we can facilitate and continue to support culture. Without a doubt, I want to open a dialogue with the Treasury to see how we can help culture more from the budget. And also about patronage.
The Patronage law, then, does it not plan to recover it as it was about to be approved?
Many legislative initiatives fell due to the election call. I have a big priority: the first law I will try to unlock is the Cinema law because it already enjoyed great consensus in the sector. There are things that must be corrected. I am meeting with the whole sector to re-boost it. I know that the definition of an independent producer worries them and we will see how it is fixed in the law. And we have to get more stuff out. The Art Education law also lapsed. And it will be very important: how culture and education work together, this law was fundamental for us. And also that of Patronage. I believe in this law, obviously I have to see the contents, but we will give it a boost. Anglo-Saxon culture is much more focused on patronage, ours is cultural promotion based on the public budget. And we must open up patronage more and more, I am in favor of it. The figures we have now are a little insufficient, we certainly need this law, but I want to study it. We will carry it forward.
The cultural rights he talks about, what do they entail and what financial endowment do they need?
First, the right to access culture. That it reaches the entire territory. Then, there is a right to be a cultural broadcaster: that those who want to participate in the country's cultural life, which we are all citizens, can do so. That is why creation must be taken care of, that there are scholarships, spaces, and that citizens are allowed to express themselves culturally. And there is another fundamental pillar, I would say even the first, which is the right to freedom of expression. We have seen in recent months how censorship is returning. I want to be clear: this ministry will support creators and we will not tolerate acts of censorship, for whatever reason.
When he says he supports the artists, what is he thinking?
Politically, defending them, and then there can be all kinds of cases, punishments in terms of withdrawal of subsidies that we can try to correct, legal disputes. It will be seen on a case by case basis, but I will side with any censored artist. We will not tolerate it.
Will the Artist Statute finally end this term?
It is fundamental. The fight against the precariousness of our artists will be a priority. I take care of the precariousness in which many live. Great progress has already been made, for example, in labor matters, but there are still things that need to be closed. In particular, issues that have to do with social contributions, with taxation, for example, with regard to intermittency. And with the labor transition: there are artists who, after a certain age, cannot exercise their profession, and public policies must provide for this transition.
Semprún spoke of the need to decentralize the ministry's budget. Iceta said that it could not be the Great Ministry of Culture of the Community of Madrid. what do you want to do
For me it will be a priority that culture reaches all corners of the country. Obviously, the cities are the great cultural engines, but we have the responsibility to reach the whole territory. They are equipment, but not only that, although they are also included. By the way, one of the projects I would like to finish is the State Library being built in Barcelona, a very beautiful project that we hope to finish this term. But one of the things I want to work a lot with the communities is how we get the culture to every corner. There are very valuable initiatives, such as the Extended Prado. The Prado Museum, with 50 museums from all over Spain, collaborates so that its works reach all Spaniards.
Initiatives like this, which has caused controversy these days, are they enough, or does it provide, as some are asking, for the best distribution of resources and acquisitions?
In the Prado Extended controversy, I was surprised that the Community of Madrid questioned the national character of the museum. The Prado belongs to all citizens. And the initiative was launched a year ago and the Community of Madrid said nothing. By the way, it is one of the most benefited communities, several centers of the Community participate. I think it is a good policy and, regarding the rest of the issues, it is the ministry's desire to participate in as many museums as possible. We are already part of the board of a good number, and then, if there are more formulas, we will study them.
One of the controversies of the last legislature was the creation of a museum decolonization commission. Will you create one?
We have inherited a colonial culture and many countries around us are already addressing this issue. I have lived these years in Belgium, which had a museum about the terrifying Congo, and has made a policy in this sense. I want to see how we deal with it, but, without a doubt, we will have to address the colonial culture we have inherited.
Another hot potato he inherited is the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music, which everyone wants to reform and which is increasingly insufficient.
It is my wish that the reform of Inaem be carried out this legislature. I know it has been promised in recent years, but it has not been done. Inaem has two functions: subsidies and aid and the management of our large centres. It is important to be able to move forward with greater efficiency and agility. I know that in the big centers there are difficulties for tours, productions. We need to do them more quickly. I want to carry out the reform with two fundamental criteria: the public nature of Inaem and that it is in full dialogue with the workers and the sector.
A serious problem that the ministry has faced is the lack of staff, which has paralyzed subsidies and closed dozens of rooms in museums. How can it be solved?
It is one of the problems that some of our great centers and museums have brought to my attention. I will open a dialogue with the civil service to see the room for improvement. I'll take care of it.
Creators and publishers are concerned about copyright in the age of artificial intelligence. What will the ministry do?
There are two things that I have followed very closely these months. One, as a parliamentarian, is the new regulation on European artificial intelligence. The other great lesson is the screenwriters' strike in Hollywood, which was one of the main focuses of attention in the field of artificial intelligence, digitization and copyright. Artificial intelligence is a great opportunity, but it cannot come at the expense of the rights of creators and I am committed to the fact that it is regulated by defending their rights. I know a lot of people are concerned that I'm absorbing their creations and manipulating them without regard for their rights.
If we go to Spanish politics, apart from the minimum wage, what measures are in a hurry to put Sumar on the table of the Council of Ministers?
We want a legislature that continues to expand rights. We came out of one in which we demonstrated that it was possible to make an economic policy completely different from that of the past and be successful. Neoliberals told us that raising the minimum wage destroyed jobs. We have raised it by 47% and the employment data has just come out with a drop in unemployment and a record number of Social Security members. We have broken the myths of neoliberalism and are demonstrating that expanding rights and strengthening public services works and makes the economy work better. The Spanish economy is one of the best performing in the Eurozone. We must continue with this policy and avoid the siren songs in Europe about returning to cuts, austerity. That would be deeply wrong.
How does the move of Podemos to the mixed group affect Sumar and the legislature?
I regret that Podemos has unilaterally decided to move to the mixed group and leave a project built on the basis of the generosity of all parties and which has been decisive in curbing the right and the ultra-right. And I regret that they have not respected the will of more than three million voters. I can assure you that we will work to fulfill our commitments and improve people's lives, which is why we are here.
