Six million euros for the Paris Opera, five for the Comédie Française, three for the Louvre… Major cultural institutions are seeing their budgets cut this year, sparking incomprehension and anger in the sector and at Paris City Hall. The Mobilier national Sèvres and the Académie de France in Rome are also affected “for one million euros each, the Théâtre de la Colline and the Théâtre national de la Danse-Chaillot (in Paris, Editor’s note) for 500,000 euros each” , detailed the Ministry of Culture on Friday to AFP, confirming press information.
For its part, the Philharmonie told AFP that it had been notified of “a cut of 250,000 euros in its investment budget”. Added to this is “1.5 million euros of canceled reserve credits”. These budget cuts are part of the 10 billion euros in “immediate” savings announced in mid-February by Bercyafter the slippage in the public deficit recorded last year.
In Culture, where the requested savings reach a little more than 200 million euros (of which 96 million concern creation and 100 million for heritage), Minister Rachida Dati assured that she would essentially recover the reserve credits, intended to cover budgetary uncertainties at the end of the year, and that the “territories” would be preserved. A way of saying that Parisian national institutions, under direct supervision of the State, could put their hands in their pockets.
At the Opera, the amount of six million euros “will be taken from the working capital […]. “It will not give rise to any restriction on the means available for the activity and operation of the establishment”, AFP was assured. The institution nevertheless intends to “recover a compliant level of public support in 2025” to the contract signed with the State for 2022 – 2026. Matthias Bergmann, from the Sud union, fears that the plan will have an impact on the renovation work planned at Bastille and Garnier in the coming months.
“Danger for creation”
In mid-March, the Paris Opera announced that it had become profitable again in 2023, for the first time since 2017, in particular thanks to the return of the public to the theaters, a record number of visits to the Palais Garnier and sponsorship revenue. “It’s very complicated for us,” said Pierre Lungheretti, deputy director of the Théâtre national de la Danse-Chaillot. “500,000 euros (cutting), that’s half of our artistic availability”, that is to say what remains once fixed costs have been deducted. “It compromises the shows but also all the artistic education programs implemented throughout France for young people alienated from culture,” he worries.
Wajdi Mouawad, the director of the Théâtre de la Colline, emphasized, Tuesday on France Inter, that the budget cuts would inevitably affect creation, with theaters being encouraged to only turn to known artists to be sure of filling their rooms. For the general secretary of Synptac-CGT (theatre and cultural activities), Claire Serre-Combe, “the objective is to target the so-called richest structures but, in reality, they are financially fragile” because “summoned to fulfill their mission public service, to do as much as in 2023, with fewer resources. The union is planning a week of actions “against cultural austerity” from Monday.
While Rachida Dati has made no secret of her candidacy for mayor of Paris in 2026, these announcements also made Emmanuel Grégoire, first deputy (PS) of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, react: “the Minister of Culture plans 15 million euros of austerity for Parisian museums and theaters, who will have no other choice than to give up their public service mission,” he lamented on X.
The Deputy for Culture, Carine Rolland, denounced a “misinterpretation”. “Above all, it’s a real danger for creation, for artists.” The Louvre, the Comédie Française and the Mobilier national did not wish to comment at this stage.