French ex-minister backs cultural investment 2012/10/22 20:50:01 Taipei, Oct 22 (CNA) Investment in the culture sector is important, and the worse the economy, the more investment in culture is needed, former French Culture Minister Jack Lang said Monday. Lang, who was invited to Taiwan by the Ministry of Culture, said at a press conference that he helped increase France's cultural budget during his terms as minister to send the message that "culture is an important investment." Lang held the position of culture minister between 1981 and 1986, and from 1988 to 1992. Under his tenure, the budget of the French Ministry of Culture in 1982 was doubled from the 1981 figure of NT$13 billion (US$444 million) and continued to increase over the years, reaching around NT$60 billion in 1993. Taiwan's Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai, who also attended the press conference, asked Lang for his opinions on what makes a favorable environment for investment in culture. In response, Lang said more resources should be allocated to the culture sector, even during an economic down cycle. He mentioned the 1983 Grand Louvre project as an example of the benefits of such investment. Lang said the project, which led to the creation of the famous glass pyramid outside the famed museum, helped boost visitor numbers from 2 million to 10 million and benefited France's tourism and economic development. He noted that the plan to renovate and expand the museum and remove the Ministry of Finance from the building drew great opposition at the time. Meanwhile, in response to a reporter's question on what measures Lang has launched to promote art education during his term as minister of national education from 2000-2002 and what Taiwan could learn from France, the former minister said it is important for the ministries of education and culture to work together. Lang said he launched a plan during his term to send French artists into schools, adding that it is important to all