site.btaTISP Floor Leader: Culture Minister Took Only Possible Step to Save World Heritage Committee Session

"Culture Minister Marian Bachev took the only possible step for saving Bulgaria’s hosting of the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee, and our partners at UNESCO showed full understanding and support," There Is Such a People (TISP) Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov said Thursday in a statement on behalf of his parliamentary group. The statement pointed out that financing for organizing the forum was not envisaged in the 2024 budget, and would cost over BGN 15 million.

On Wednesday, the Culture Ministry announced that the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee had agreed for the 47th session of the Committee to be held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris from July 6 to 16, 2025, with Bulgaria providing financial support as the designated host.

According to Yordanov, no agreement has been signed with UNESCO regarding the hosting, and it requires ratification by the National Assembly. The deadline for signing was November 6, 2024, or eight months before the event. "No agreement exists, and the arrangements are irreversibly delayed. The activities done so far are described as technical and minimal — only venue inspections and online meetings. The declaration says that for lack of a budget the work has stopped there," Yordanov said.

In mid-November 2024, UNESCO experts visited for the first preparatory mission, but the organizational committee, on which the Ministry of Finance is not represented, never met again. "UNESCO requested the National Palace of Culture to be equipped with new sound and lighting systems, but without money or time this seemed impossible," Yordanov noted.

"In this idiotic situation of total inaction and carelessness, Marian Bachev, in his capacity as Minister of Culture who took office a month and a half ago, did the only possible thing. The assessment of the situation has shown that not enough capacity and human resources can be mobilized in such a short time. Our partners at UNESCO showed full understanding and support and immediately started consultations on what best could be done to save the Bulgarian hosting of the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee, because it was categorically stated that no country could manage with the construction of infrastructure in this short period of time. This is the assessment of our UNESCO partners. South Korea wants to bid for the session in 2026 and is working now," the TISP Floor Leader said.

Yordanov criticized the idea that hosting would not affect the budget, calling it "absolute nonsense." In his words, the event will be attended by 2,000-4,000 high-ranking officials and experts from around the world, requiring Bulgaria to provide visas, meeting venues, catering, and much more. "Preparation for such an event should have begun immediately after the decision was made in July 2024, but nothing has been done since then," he added.

The Floor Leader explained that technical arrangements for the forum in Sofia would cost USD 4 million. Former Culture Minister Nayden Todorov had submitted a report to the Government, claiming that the hosting would not have financial consequences. However, in an interview in 2024, Todorov admitted that no funds had been allocated in the 2024 budget for the UNESCO meeting because the decision came unexpectedly. Yordanov stressed that this means a decision was made about UNESCO without financial readiness ensured for the event.

Earlier on Thursday, the National Assembly began its business hearing a declaration on behalf of the Vazrazhdane Parliamentary Group against the Culture Ministry's decision to refuse to host the 47th Session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee. Presenting the declaration, Angel Yanchev MP of Vazrazhdane described the refusal as a "diplomatic disgrace". Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) MP Manol Peykov said that the his parliamentary group insists that the Ministry of Culture and Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov provide an explanation by the end of the day for Bulgaria’s failure to host the UNESCO World Heritage Committee session.