PROGRAM OF GOVERNMENT 2017-2020 and within this gigantic project are cleared, we will initiate revitalization activities in the downtown area and the Old Bazaar. This will prevent hasty, arbitrary or populism-motivated solutions. The Government will draft a strategy and advance measures to remedy the dire situation of cultural heritage conservation. We will audit all projects that might threaten Macedonia’s precious cultural and natural heritage, such as the Skopje Fortress, Plaosnik in Ohrid, ski center Galicica, Lagadin beach, the weekend settlement in Lazaropole etc. In order to overcome the existing voluntarism in this area, following the example of developed the European countries, will develop a new Law on Protection of Cultural Heritage which will enlist all monuments of national importance. The list will be a public document, available to citizens. We will introduce a system for compulsory financing of monuments from the list, based on the category of value and degree of endangerment, without giving preference to any type of cultural heritage. The Government will finance professional training and meritocratic recruitment policy in the field of conservation and restoration. We will introduce legal framework mechanisms for evaluation of contemporary art and architecture as an integral part of the list (according to the criteria of value, not the time of construction), which will prevent façade revesting of important buildings like the government building, City Trade Center in Skopje, or old city core of Skopje on Macedonia St. This will also protect the Old Bazaar, Plaosnik in Ohrid, the old bazaar in Struga, the old architecture in Kratovo, Sirok Sokak in Bitola and Kicevo Fortress. The Government will establish an independent expert body to review all new museums in terms of the value of their collections and physical-security conditions for their exposure and keeping. Museums will be run and administered in step with European and international standards. In the process, we will highlight the role of museums in preserving the intangible cultural heritage, with focus on their communication role and their interaction with visitors. The Government will transform national cultural institutions under clear and public criteria. National institutions will develop their annual program activities in direct negotiation with the Ministry of Culture instead of public competitions. The procedure will be transparent, with public hearings on the draft annual programs. The Government will encourage local authorities to adopt local cultural policies, introduce strategic planning and present active cultural development programs. It will make the cultural system more efficient and more adequate to cultural needs of citizens. The new cultural policy of decentralization will allow each municipality or greater urban community to establish at least one cultural community center. We will create conditions for local development of creative industries that will contribute to the economic development of the municipality. The new cultural policy will be geared towards the living culture, independent cultural scene, cultural processes and artistic practices that include both artists and audience. We will support their structural needs, production costs and strategies for growth and improvement of the quality of projects and organizations. We will support new productions, experimental practices and models of action and introduce good practices for sustainable growth and operation. Particular attention will be paid to so-called creative industries and cultural industries. We will follow Europe’s top trends and policies, 54