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The Government of the Republic of Croatia has adopted a decision to introduce a “Culture Card“, which ensures that persons who turn 18 from 1 January 2026 have the right to access cultural content, or to cover the costs of consuming cultural content in the amount of 100 euros, which they can use for one year from the day they turn 18.
The aim of introducing the “Culture Card” is to promote a universal and diverse approach to culture for young audiences, foster cultural habits, and strengthen existing cultural needs. The Card will also strengthen the cultural sector’s further development and enable direct contact with young audiences through a new model of support. The “Cultural Card” is a response to the perceived need for insufficient participation of young people in cultural events, especially in some segments of the cultural sector, and to insufficiently developed models of communication between creators of cultural content and young audiences as their users.
For the young audience to acquire the habit of consuming culture, and due to the lack of attention paid to culture and art within the regular educational cycle, in addition to other measures implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Media, the introduction of the “Culture Card” provides every young person over the age of eighteen with financial support intended for cultural needs – the purchase of books, tickets to museums, theaters, concerts and other things of their own choosing.
The national reach, i.e. the possibility of using the “Culture Card” in all parts of Croatia, also influences the greater decentralization of cultural content, which is one of the strategic priorities of the Ministry of Culture and Media.
The introduction of the “Culture Card” is complementary to the implementation of the audience development program that the Ministry of Culture and Media has been implementing since 2018, as well as the Backpack (Full of) Culture program that has been implemented since 2014 and is included in the Government of the Republic of Croatia Program 2024 – 2028. Also, the “Card” is in line with the future National Youth Program that is planned to be adopted for the period 2026 – 2030, intended to further create a stimulating environment for youth development.
