On the eve of the brightest Bulgarian holiday, 24th of May an important public discussion on the topic “Sustainable Development of Bulgarian Culture” was held in the National Assembly, organized by the Union of Artists in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Music Association and the Observatory for the Economy of Culture.

The event brought together representatives of institutions, professional organizations and representatives of the independent cultural sector, and was initiated in the context of ongoing efforts to formulate a long-term vision for cultural policy and adequate support for the cultural and creative industries in the country.

The discussion was opened by the actor Hristo Mutafchiev, Chairman of the Union of Artists in Bulgaria (UAB), and the moderator of the event was Diana Andreeva-Popiordanova from the Observatory of Cultural Economics and lecturer at the UNWE.

In her introduction, Diana Andreeva emphasized the need to build a new platform for partnership between institutions, the civil sector and key ministries (including the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Ministry of Tourism). Accent was placed on the gradual increase in the budget for culture and the construction of a substantiated argumentation through analyses and regionalized cultural policies. She proposed the creation of a charter with specific goals, deadlines and responsible institutions as a tool for accelerated development of cultural processes in the country.

Positions were expressed during the discussion by Denitsa Ezekieva (UAB) and Mirena Staneva, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Music Association (BMA). Staneva emphasizes the need for structural changes to ensure better management and sustainability of the music sector:

“The public and independent scene share similar challenges that cannot be solved without political will and regulatory changes. Extremely low pay, an inadequate funding system, and a lack of strategic vision lead to an outflow of young staff, a collapse in motivation, and an inability to develop.”

She stressed that a comprehensive modernization of the way state cultural institutions are financed is needed, including linking uniform spending standards to the minimum or average wage. Serious attention should also be paid to internationalization, education and cultural infrastructure, where a chronic lack of investment and vision undermines the competitiveness of the sector.

“Without systematic support for the export of Bulgarian culture and without adequate modern education, we cannot talk about a sustainable cultural ecosystem,” she further emphasized. 

Ezekieva, for her part, stressed that culture is the foundation of society’s existence, citing research data showing that 80% of the Bulgarian population consumes culture solely through television. She raised questions about targeted funding and the role of the National Culture Fund.

Representatives of the sector expressed serious concern about systemic delays and lack of capacity to manage key processes in cultural policy – ​​blocked or unfinished regulations and bills, failed start of important procedures, delayed funding sessions, functional breakdown in the work of the National Culture Fund, as well as personnel erosion caused by frequent political rotations and appointments that undermine institutional sustainability and expertise in the Ministry of Culture.

Assoc. Prof. Natalia Kiselova, Chairwoman of the National Assembly, Georgi Sultanov – Deputy Minister of Culture, and Toshko Yordanov – Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Media took an active part in the debate. Assoc. Prof. Kiselova stated that “cultural issues do not have a political color, they are a matter of national identity”, emphasizing the need for a strategic and expert approach in formulating cultural policy.

Deputy Minister Sultanov shared that a National Cultural Calendar is being prepared, which will allow for direct financing of cultural events. He announced that an update of the methodology for financing cultural institutions is forthcoming and that steps will be taken to facilitate access to subsidies by municipalities. Toshko Yordanov called for reducing the emotional charge in the discussions and emphasized the need for a systematic approach:

“For the last four years, the state has been on pause and problems have been covered up.”

Other participants in the roundtable included Yordanka Fandakova – Chairwoman of the Foreign Policy Committee, the representatives of the National Assembly Toma Bikov and Manol Peykov, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Todor Chobanov – Deputy Minister of Culture, representatives of the Board and the Supervisory Board of the Bulgarian Academy of Arts – Marina Vasileva, Boris Kuchkov, Ventsislav Mitsov, Antoanela Petrova and Vasil Gyurov, representatives of creative unions, cultural and creative organizations, as well as numerous independent artists.

A package of 12 specific measures was presented during the discussion, which aim to achieve a sustainable, fair and vibrant cultural ecosystem. Among them are:

• Creation of a national strategy for culture, based on analysis and differentiated approaches;
• Financial decentralization and development of regional cultural policies;
• Updating the funding of state cultural institutes, with a link to the minimum or average wage;
• Strategy for the international dissemination of Bulgarian culture and support for the international participation of artists;
• Support for professional education and cultural management;
• Institutional recognition of the cultural manager as a profession;
• Renovation and development of cultural infrastructure, including a program for private stage spaces.

The participants in the discussion united around the need to build a coherent cultural policy based on data, inter-institutional partnership and sector engagement. Diana Andreeva emphasized that:

“Our proposals are linked in stages. The strategy is an extremely important document. The Ministry of Culture can create a working group, create horizontal and vertical partnerships, but the conversation about the budget does not wait for a strategy and the dynamics of its creation for next year are ongoing, i.e. the budget procedure is in full swing.”

Therefore, it was emphasized that the processes should develop in parallel – both in terms of the preparation of the strategic document and in terms of the actual participation of the cultural sector in the budget planning for 2026 with specific proposals as early as June, in active cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly.

The discussion was the first step towards forming a broad expert and public consensus on the priorities of the cultural sector and the necessary changes for its sustainable development.