The Minister of Culture Nayden Todorov commented on the results announced in the report of the General Inspectorate of the Council of Ministers in connection with the inspection of the officials from the Ministry of Culture exercising control over the activities of the Theater, Music and Philharmonic Center – Razgrad and the Rhodope Drama Theater – Smolyan.
„It would be an extremely interesting answer, if I were the one to blame. Because here we are talking about events that have been happening over the past ten years. Unfortunately, I cannot be held responsible for everything that happened before me, but I am willing, if anyone is interested, to take on that responsibility as well. I am a person who takes responsibility, even for others. And it is particularly interesting to me that there is always a search for which individual is to blame. The individuals will be found by the Prosecutor’s Office, but no one is looking for what the actual problem is that leads to all of this, where the systemic problem lies that is behind all of this,“, Minister Todorov pointed out, and explained that now the guilty parties will be found and handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office, which will do its job, „but if the system remains the same, it is only a matter of time before the next ones appear.“
According to Minister Todorov, the report from the General Inspectorate of the Council of Ministers fails to address the key issues.
„Moreover, I found things in the report that are simply not true. There was an accusation against me that I approved expenditures in Smolyan and Razgrad, which is absurd. A minister never signs off on such things in any way. What I signed off on were the measures to be taken to stop any misuse of funds immediately,“, the Minister of Culture explained.
Time will tell whether this is an accidental mistake, Minister Todorov pointed out and recalled that in culture in recent years there have been various scandals, but there was never a question of a minister’s resignation – until 10 days ago when he raised the issue of a complete change of the system, with a ready strategy and a draft law on how to make it happen.
„And I would like to find an answer to the question for whom this reform is not beneficial,“, said Minister Todorov.
He said that in the last hour of the last working day before this Monday he had a conversation with the Prime Minister, and during that conversation, there was no mention of a resignation. The Prime Minister handed the report to the minister, and at the same time, the information from the report was released to the media. Minister Todorov thoroughly reviewed the report and was surprised by many things in it.
„Today, we are forming a disciplinary council at the Ministry of Culture for the individuals mentioned in the report – the Secretary General and the Director of the “Performing Arts and Art Education” Directorate. However, one of the issues in the report was that it does not mention the responsible Deputy Minister, as per the order from 2020. This does not mean that the Deputy Minister is guilty, but it does mean that something is wrong if the person responsible for this is not even mentioned – even if it is stated that he is not guilty,“, Minister Todorov further explained.
„We are conducting a full analysis of the report from the Inspectorate of the Council of Ministers, and if there are too many contradictions between our analysis and the report, the matter will be handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office,“, Minister Todorov stated. He also commented on the appointments of the two employees removed from the Ministry of Culture’s financial directorate, emphasizing that he is firmly not the person who assisted with their subsequent appointments.
Regarding the culture budget, Minister Todorov pointed out that the funds are clearly insufficient, but despite this, they are allocated in a way that is wrong — something he has been signaling for the past 10 years. Regarding the limits on cultural institutions, Minister Todorov commented that this is also a systemic problem, as institutions that start with a low limit can easily exceed it.
„This is also the reason why Parliament is struggling to find a solution to this problem. In 2019, they decided that the limit could be exceeded by 5%, and in February 2024, they amended the law again to allow a 20% annual budget overrun. Fine, we will exceed it, but where will we get the money from?“, Minister Todorov asked.
Minister Todorov informed that the fictitiously appointed individuals at the cultural institute in Razgrad have been dismissed, and those at the theater in Smolyan are in the process of being dimissed. He clarified that private bailiffs are currently looking for them, and their documents are missing from the theater.
„In recent years, all the problems in the culture sector have become evident. Ten days ago, I presented possible solutions. From now on, anyone who opposes these solutions should explain why they are against them,“, Minister Todorov summarized.
During the conversation, audits conducted at the National Film Center (NFC) were also discussed, with the NFC currently appealing the audit by the Ministry of Culture. Minister Todorov explained that the problems at the NFC are of a regulatory nature.
Among the other topics discussed was the premiere of the play directed by John Malkovich at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the financial state of the national cultural institute, as well as the high revenues from the production.
„There should have been a response by changing the date of the performance,“, Minister Todorov stated.
„What we have prepared for the new cultural budget is focused on more visionary thinking – we are advocating for slightly higher amounts, but also a different approach to how they are used,“, Minister Nayden Todorov commented on the plans for the 2025 budget.
Some of the issues at the Rila Monastery are related to the work of the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage, but it has the full support of the Ministry of Culture – something that Minister Todorov assured the abbot of the monastery during his visit there last week. The visit was in connection with Bulgaria’s hosting of the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in July 2025.
Regarding the protection of monuments of immovable cultural heritage, Minister Todorov pointed out that there is a problem with the local oversight, citing the example of the Bozova House in Koprivshtitsa – a case that has been referred to the Prosecutor’s Office by the Ministry of Culture.
When asked whether he would accept to be part of the Cabinet in a potential future government, Minister Todorov replied that he would accept, provided he is allowed to carry out the reform he wishes to implement.
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