site.btaRecriminations Traded over Declined Hosting of UNESCO World Heritage Committee Session

Political forces traded recriminations Thursday in the wake of the Bulgarian Culture Ministry’s decision to decline the hosting of the 47th Session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Some criticized Culture Minister Marian Bachev, others defended him, and Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov blamed the previous cabinet for failing to make the necessary preparations.
 
On Wednesday, the Culture Ministry announced that the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee had agreed the Committee session to be held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris from July 6 to 16, 2025, with Bulgaria providing financial support as the designated host.

Manol Peykov MP of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) (speaking to reporters on Thursday): The situation as a huge fiasco. While in February 2025 a letter from the UNESCO Secretariat confirmed that Bulgaria was making proper preparations, organizing the event had long been running into administrative resistance and reluctance in Bulgaria.

CC-DB MP Elisaveta Belobradova: The unilateral decision to withdraw from hosting the session can only be politically motivated. There had been no indication that financial or organizational issues had prompted the decision.

Vazrazhdane MP Angel Yanchev (in a declaration on behalf of his parliamentary group, presented at the start of business in Parliament): The refusal is a diplomatic disgrace. Instead of taking a leadership role, Culture Minister Marian Bachev had chosen the path of least resistance: capitulation.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (approached for comment in Brussels later in the day): Bulgaria remains the host of the 47th Session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, with costs expected to be under USD 2 million. The previous caretaker cabinet is to blame because a commitment was made but was not supported by caretaker culture minister Nayden Todorov. This commitment was not implemented by the caretaker cabinet, nor financing for it was allocated. It was based on the negative opinion of the Foreign Ministry and security services as of July 2025. When we took office, we found absolutely nothing – no arrangements, no finances, no preparation. There was no assessment indicating that we could organize the event in Sofia within three months – the issue is not just about financing. Bulgaria does not have diplomatic missions and consular posts in some UNESCO member states. If a delegate from such a country needs a visa, the Bulgarian state would have to cover the cost of flying them from their home country to a country where we have diplomatic and consular presence so they can submit their applications. Then they would have to return home and later fly back again to pick up their visa – this entire process would be at the expense of Bulgarian taxpayers.

There Is Such a People Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov (in a statement on behalf of his parliamentary group): Culture Minister Marian Bachev took the only possible step for saving Bulgaria’s hosting of the session. Financing for organizing the forum was not envisaged in the 2024 budget, and would cost over BGN 15 million. 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. In mid-November 2024, UNESCO experts visited for the first preparatory mission, but the organizing 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. Preparation for such an event should have begun immediately after the decision was made in July 2024, but nothing has been done since then. 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. This implies that a decision was made about UNESCO without financial readiness ensured for the event.