Over €135 million added to event sector bail-out fund

The government added an additional 135 million euros to the event sector bail-out fund to compensate entrepreneurs who had to cancel events and festivals due to coronavirus measures.

Entrepreneurs can now apply for a maximum subsidy of 100 percent instead of 80 percent, the Ministry of Economic Affair and Climate reported on Wednesday.

From now on, entrepreneurs will also be compensated for booking artists from outside the EU. Additionally, organizations will now have a longer application period for the subsidy.

The Cabinet increased the bail-out fund after putting an end to multi-day festivals and events on Friday until at least August 14, due to rapidly rising coronavirus infection number. Because of the uncertainty of the coronavirus crisis, organizations can also apply for the scheme if their event or festival falls three weeks after the date.

The government’s recent decision to cancel events and festivals was met with heavy backlash. Festival group, ID&T along with 30 other parties sued the government over the new measures. They felt that festivals and events were able to be held safely if they followed Fieldlab requirements.