Application round for event guarantee to start 1 June – Aims to reduce organisers’ financial risk

The purpose of the event guarantee is to reduce the financial risk of organising events. The guarantee is an advance payment commitment given to event organisers for the costs the organisers declare. If the event is cancelled or its size restricted by law or order of an authority, compensation will be paid for the costs incurred.

Event organisers will apply for event guarantee at the State Treasury. The application process has two phases. Applications will be accepted from 1 June to 31 August 2021. Event organisers must apply for compensation based on the event guarantee separately. Applications for compensation are accepted from 15 September to 7 December 2021. The State Treasury will provide more detailed instructions on how to apply for event guarantee on 28 May 2021.

Event guarantee applies to established event organisers – regional restrictions to be taken into account

The event guarantee would apply to, for example, art and cultural festivals, concerts and exhibitions, sports events, music festivals, fairs and similar events.

Event guarantee may be granted if the following conditions are met:

• The event is a public event with at least 200 participants.
• The event will take place between 1 June and 7 December 2021.
• The event organiser is an established and professional business that has a Business ID, a permanent organisation and a turnover of more than EUR 150,000 in 2019. Typically, established event organisers have hired staff, but sole entrepreneurs can also apply for event guarantee.
• Regional restrictions by the authorities permit the organisation of an event for at least 200 people.

Event guarantee does not apply to events organised regularly year-round. Such events include weekly performances, concerts and plays, or sports events organised as a series.

Event guarantee granted for preannounced and actual costs

In its application, the event organiser should include the planned time, place and duration of the event, the estimated costs and any subcontractors of the event. The organiser applies for the event guarantee, but the compensation for cancelled events will also be paid to the subcontracts included in the application.

If the event is cancelled completely by law or by order of an authority, 85% of the costs will be reimbursed. Only actual costs announced in advance could be compensated. An event is considered cancelled if a law or order of an authority restricting such events is in force 90 days or less before the event.

An event may also be deemed cancelled if the size of the event is restricted by law or order of an authority to allow no more than 85% of the initially planned participants. In such a case, the event organiser may cancel the event and receive compensation in accordance with the event guarantee. The event organiser may also scale down the size of the event to comply with the restrictions, in which case the event guarantee will compensate for the costs in part.

Under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Government prepares recommendations concerning the organisation of events. Municipalities and Regional State Administrative Agencies make decisions based on these recommendations. The recommendations differ from one region to another, depending on the epidemiological situation.

Applications accepted for Ministry of Education and Culture's event aid

The Ministry of Education and Culture accepts applications for coronavirus-related grants from art and cultural festivals and summer theatres. The Ministry’s grants will support

• art and cultural festivals organised as activities of general interest
• art and cultural festivals organised on a commercial basis (organiser’s turnover including VAT of up to EUR 150,000 in 2019)  
• summer theatre activities that are either professional or at least partly employ arts professionals.  

The grants are intended to support activities that have become more difficult or that have been cancelled altogether due to the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic between 1 January and 30 September 2021. The grants also aim to help continue or restart activities as flexibly as possible after the restrictions have ended. Applications are accepted until 22 June 2021.

EUR 80 million reserved for event guarantee

Aid granted earlier under the same temporary State aid rules of the European Commission will be taken into account when granting the guarantee. The total amount of coronavirus-related aid, such as business cost support, cannot exceed EUR 1.8 million. The aid granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture for the same purpose will be deducted from the event guarantee.

The Government has reserved EUR 80 million for the event guarantee and a total of about EUR 230 million for the support package for the cultural, arts, sports and event sectors. On 27 May 2021, the Government proposed that the President of the Republic approve the amendments to the Act on Support for Business Costs, which will enable the event guarantee. The Act will enter into force on 1 June 2021.

Inquiries:

Mikko Huuskonen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29 506 3732 (event guarantee)
Director-General Riitta Kaivosoja Ministry of Education and Culture, tel. +358 295 330 129 +358 29 533 0129, (support by Ministry of Education and Culture)