The main unit of territorial administration is the municipality (of which there are 262), which is legally autonomous, and has property rights and freedom of association. At the municipal level, cultural competence is exercised in the form of local self-government, including financial control which is distributed among the respective municipal Councils of Culture.
Each municipality has a Deputy Mayor of Culture. Municipalities formulate and implement their policies for the protection and development of culture, combining the principles of national cultural policy with local conditions and traditions.
The Municipal Council is the body that makes key decisions in the municipality, including the municipal funding of cultural institutes in its territory. The council also administrates competitions for cultural initiatives, creative projects and targeted programmes, which are funded by the municipal budget. Its main task is to provide creative scholarships to support young artists, to establish awards for contributions and achievements in culture, support the development of amateur art activities and to create programs for preserving folk art.
Public-expert committees and councils support the activities of the municipalities. These advisory bodies include representatives of creative unions, individual artists and experts. Committees and councils are committed to providing opinions and evaluations on the activities of municipal and regional cultural institutes, and in aligning national cultural policy principles with local conditions and traditions.
On the other hand, the Municipal Council has the obligation to create a municipal culture fund. The fund is financially supported by several sources – provided through the implementation of targeted programmes and projects in the culture, donations, legacy and sponsorships, interest on the accounts of the fund, and others. The fund’s resources are directed to the implementation of cultural projects, participation in co-productions with individuals and legal entities of Bulgarian and international cultural initiatives, supporting amateur art activities and providing scholarships for talented children.
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