site.btaCulture Minister: We Would Like Much Higher Culture Budget but Circumstances Call for Conservative Approach

Culture Minister Marian Bachev took part in a Thursday meeting of the parliamentary committee on culture and media in Sofia. He said that although everyone present would like the budget for culture to be much higher, the current draft state budget bill must take into account all the facts and circumstances that call for a significantly more conservative approach.

The Ministry's budget allocates BGN 46.1 million for preserving movable and immovable cultural heritage. According to him, these funds provide for a 4.3% increase in the basic funding standard for state cultural institutes in the field of cultural and audiovisual heritage.

Bachev noted that according to the Ministry of Culture's budget indicators included in this year's state budget bill, the revenue provided for in the budget bill amounts to BGN 54.13 million and includes an increase of BGN 6.13 million compared to the 2024 Budget Act. "The increase is for the performing arts organizations, museums, galleries and schools of culture and arts," the Minister said. 

"The budgeted expenditure of the Ministry is BGN 457.2 million. Compared to last year's Budget Act, the increase in expenditure is just over 13%," he added.

An expenditure of BGN 402.1 million is foreseen for creation and promotion of contemporary art in Bulgaria and abroad and access to quality art education, the Culture Minister announced.

Subtracting the size of the budgets of the state cultural institutes, the funds available for financial support this year amount to BGN 76.9 million, Bachev said. These funds are planned to cover the costs of the following priorities - through financial support programmes under the National Culture Fund, support will be provided for the development of culture and the implementation of the national policy in the field of culture set out in the Government's programme and in the Culture Protection and Development Act, support for the creation of competitive Bulgarian feature, documentary and animation films, the distribution and international dissemination of Bulgarian cinema, the holding of regular sessions for financial support for creative projects of cultural organizations - state and municipal cultural institutes and organizations from the independent sector, in the field of performing arts, etc.