Wallonia will gradually end the subsidies it granted to festivals to guarantee their accessibility to people with disabilities, confirmed on Wednesday, in plenary session of the Walloon Parliament, the regional minister in charge of equal opportunities, Yves Coppieters.
“I fully understand your questioning given the character that has become structural of this ‘accessibility’ financing for many festivals,” he replied to the socialist deputy Valérie Dejardin who questioned him on the subject.
“I plan to act gradually,” he added. The Francofolies de Spa, for example, will thus receive, this year, the two-thirds of the subsidy requested. According to managers of the Spadois festival, the absence of any accessibility subsidy represented a shortfall of 30 to 50,000 euros.
“The policy that I defend aims to make accessibility a universal right, fully integrated into the fundamentals of any event. Without questioning the quality of the existing devices, I make the choice, for the future, to no longer specifically finance accessibility – whether physical or communication – in festivals, “said Yves Coppieters.
“This decision empowers the organizers: the budget relating to accessibility should be fully integrated into the overall budget of the event,” he insisted.
On the other hand, events offering activities specifically intended for people with disabilities, and organized in collaboration with them, will remain eligible for public support, depending on the quality of the project submitted.
“I am well aware that this decision represents an important change for cultural events, which for the most part had diversified their source of funding. Nevertheless, I remain convinced that it finds a fair balance between the concern for inclusion, the empowerment of operators and the need for rational management of public funds, “concluded the minister.
