3. Cultural and creative sectors
Bulgaria
Last update: March, 2020
The present Culture Heritage Act (2009), which replaced the former Cultural Monuments and Museums Act (1969), introduced a new integrative concept for cultural heritage and sets up a new national system for protection, management and sustainable use. The law was adopted after years of debate and its main achievement is to recognise the responsibility of the state and society to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of Bulgaria for the benefit of its citizens and for international visitors. The law states two main groups of monuments that are described as movable and immovable. This regulatory differentiation is due to the different modes, procedures and proponents of movable and immovable monuments of cultural protection.
The movable monuments with the greatest scientific and cultural value are included in a National Museum Stock. The stock register is kept at the Museums, Galleries and Fine Arts Directorate of the Ministry of Culture.
The Republican budget, endorsed each year by the Parliament, provides funding in the field of immovable cultural heritage preservation, allocated in line with the following scheme:
Through the budget of the Ministry of Culture
For each financial year, the Ministry of Culture devises a proposal for the benchmarking of the state subsidy funding for specific monuments and specific types of work that the Minister of Culture approves. The following criteria for the selection of monuments to be included in the State Assignment have priority in the proposal preparation:
- Cultural heritage properties with national or international significance;
- Monuments at an advanced stage of the conservation and restoration works, which can possible be concluded during the year of the funding;
- Monuments in the process of conservation and restoration works, for which interrupting the technological cycle is unacceptable;
- Monuments in decayed physical state, whose integrity is endangered; and
- If the owners of monuments are committed to secure additional funding for different activities during the financial year, together with the municipality where the monuments are located.
Through the budget of the Ministry of Finance
The Ministry of Finance secures credits for investigation and protection of monuments of culture that are covered by the allotted funding for the site.
Through the budget of the municipalities
Municipalities have a subsidy for specialised activities for monuments of culture with local importance.
Through the Religious Denominations Directorate with the Council of Ministers
Regional and local government funding sources. The financing of the local level activities for preservation of architectural and archaeological heritage comes from the following sources:
- Annual Target Subsidy from the Ministry of Culture. The Minister of Culture has contracts with municipalities for the carrying out of clearly specified activities on certain sites included in the programme prepared in advance. The budget subsidy covers part of the expenditures under that programme (generally between 50% and 80%), and the respective municipality provides the balance;
- Municipal budgets adopted every year by the Municipal Councils; and
- Private funding and sponsors include the private owners of monuments, foundations, national and international NGOs, including the А. G. Leventis Foundation, the World Monument Fund, the Headlеy Trust and the Messerschmidt foundation.
In addition to the seven UNESCO recognised cultural monuments of world significance, there are almost 40 000 of all other categories in Bulgaria. Cultural heritage has been protected since the founding of the Bulgarian state, but in recent years landmark urban buildings have been demolished – a result of, among other things, a lack of clear responsibilities of individual ministries, municipalities and other authorities in the Cultural Heritage Act. This has sparked public discontent and media debate on the topic. In order to have better management of the cultural heritage in the coming years, it is necessary to create a strategy for the cultural heritage, as well as to digitise the National Documentary Archive.
The Ministry of Culture also pursues a policy on the intangible cultural heritage through a specialized programme. The programme is related to the Bulgarian implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. On November 10, 2017 the Director-General of UNESCO Ms. Irina Bokova and the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria Mr. Boil Banov signed the Agreement regarding the continuation in Sofia (Bulgaria) of the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe under the auspices of UNESCO. This Agreement is concluded for a period of six years as from its entry into force.
In 2016, the technical preparation and implementation of the register of the intangible cultural heritage, related to providing an opportunity for promotion of the intangible cultural heritage and the national system "Living Human Treasures - Bulgaria", begins. The register www.bulgariaich.com is interconnected with an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage: Living Human Treasures - Bulgaria and Folk-Art Fairs.
Last update: March, 2020
In 2009, a Public Libraries Act was adopted. The law regulates the conditions that public libraries need to meet, their financing, their governance and interaction in a national network. Unified standards for the work of the libraries and for the services they provide were introduced. The National Library Council of the Ministry of Culture should prepare strategies for the development of library activities, conservation measures for funds and for civic access to cultural heritage.
A rich library infrastructure has been created and operates in the country. According to the information provided by the Ministry of Culture, there are 27 libraries operating in the regional centres at the regional level. Three thousand libraries within a chitalishte (a typical Bulgarian public institution with several cultural functions at once) are building the network of public libraries in Bulgaria. There are also libraries in universities, scientific units, and schools. As of October 2012, there are at least 3 500 libraries in the country.
Global Libraries - Bulgaria (Bulgarian Libraries: A Place for Access to Information and Communication for Everyone) is a support program for the libraries in Bulgaria at the Ministry of Culture. In 2016, BGN 300,000 was allocated to it. This is the state's share of the Bill and Melinda Gates programme.
An important project for digitalisation in Bulgaria was launched in 2009: NALIS Foundation’s National Academic Library Information System. The NALIS Union Catalogue is unique for Bulgaria: “the catalogue allows searching through a single platform and permits retrieving titles among nearly 3.6 million bibliographic records from the electronic catalogues of over 45 libraries in Bulgaria: it also grants access to full-text documents which are integrated into it thorough the NALIS repository. All this makes it the National catalogue of Bulgaria.” (for 2018)
Last update: March, 2020
Theatres in Bulgaria are owned by the state, municipalities and private parties. Private owners may be registered under the law of commerce, but they can also be a non-profit organisation. In 2011, state theatres switched to the delegated budget system. Since then, the Ministry of Culture has several methodologies that determine how subsidies are formed for individual organisations. This environment of continuous reform does not create an opportunity for sustainable organisational development.
Private theatres can receive state support on a project basis. This is done through participation in competitive sessions announced by the Ministry of Culture.
Number and type of stage organisations (state and municipal by ownership)
| Year | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theatres total | 74 | 75 | 72 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 75 |
| Drama theatre | 38 | 36 | 35 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 36 |
| Opera and ballet | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Operetta theatre | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Puppet theatre | 21 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| Drama-puppet theatre | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Source: National Statistical Institute
Last update: March, 2020
In the state and municipal museums and galleries, the main problem is the lack of funds for new purchases and expansion of museum collections.
Number of museums (state and municipal)
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 174 |
| 2017 | 191 |
| 2016 | 195 |
| 2015 | 201 |
| 2014 | 204 |
| 2013 | 187 |
Source: National Statistical Institute
There are a large number of associations in the field of visual arts in Bulgaria. they are active participants in the cultural life of the country. In recent years, the free (not subsidised) urban scene has been particularly active.
Numerous private galleries have emerged, a number of festivals have appeared and developed successfully. With the new law on cultural heritage, the first two private museums have appeared.
Last update: March, 2020
Data about cultural and creative industries (CCI) are based on the annual empirical survey on the mapping of CCI conducted by the Observatory of Cultural Economics - Sofia. The survey covers the period 2008-2015, which allows the emergence of major trends in the development of the CCI in Bulgaria. The aim is not only to assess the economic contribution, but also the characteristics of CCI in Bulgaria as market sectors by analysing economic growth, employment and investment. In this respect, the research also addresses the different stages of creating the value of the product from idea to consuming, the analysis reflecting the management of the process and the role of the state.
The set of data is based on: Data on the projects - Analysis and methodological framework of the cultural and creative industries in Sofia, 2010-2011. Research project in partnership between the Observatory on Culture Economics, Sofia Municipality and the National Statistical Institute, and the project Sofia City of Creative Economy, 2016-2017-2018 (again in partnership). The aim is to prove and access economic contribution of the arts, cultural, creative industries and cultural tourism in Sofia and Bulgaria.
The methodology in practice in Bulgaria is based on the mapping study of the arts, cultural, creative industries and cultural tourism that reflect the established European practices of the national specificity of the cultural sector.
| ARTS AND HERITAGE |
| Visual arts |
| Stage arts |
| Cultural Heritage |
| Artistic Crafts |
| CULTURAL INDUSTRIES |
| Music industry |
| Book publishing |
| Print media |
| Film industry |
| Radio, television and new media |
| Software and video games |
| CREATIVE INDUSTRIES |
| Design |
| Architecture |
| Ad Market |
| RELATED ACTIVITIES |
| Cultural tourism |
The methodology is based on the EUROSTAT approach, i.e. the data are comparable. The approach to shaping the scope of the arts, the cultural and creative industries, follows the recommendations of the Leadership Group on Cultural Statistics reflected in the European Statistical System Network on Culture.
For almost a decade, the Observatory of Cultural Economics, supported by the Sofia Municipality, carries out an annual mapping of the arts, cultural and creative industries in Sofia. The results are extremely indicative - economic growth in the sector of 4.5%, employment - 4.1%, and every tenth enterprise in the city is part of the creative economy. We can summarize that the cultural and creative industries are an indisputable motor for the development of the city. Nowadays, this research is conducted annually and has created a database of research data and analyses with a time span from 2008 to 2015.
The data outlines Sofia as a national centre of cultural and creative industries (CCI). The main indicators of the economic importance of CCIs - value added, the employed, turnover, the number of enterprises, and direct foreign investment, show a concentration of between 49% and 92% in the city. Every tenth enterprise in the capital is a creative economy enterprise, whereby the period under observation showed an increase in employment in the sphere and dynamics exceeding the average growth of the employed in the capital.
These annual surveys have enabled management decisions made on the basis of real information on available resources and constraints, i.e. to develop "informed policies", not only in the field of culture, but because of the mixed nature of CCIs, we are already talking about common policies between the cultural sector, education, and industry, for example:
The beginning of a more effective cultural management was established. The results of the first stage of the project became an essential part of Sofia's Cultural Strategy (Sofia-Creative Capital) Provided an institutional opportunity to develop business models based on a partnership between economy and culture. The adopted methodological scope of the CCI was also adopted by the Ministry of Economy in the rendering of the activity "Promotion of cultural and creative industries" in the Operational Programme "Innovation and Competitiveness" for 2014-2020, Priority Axis 2: Entrepreneurship and Capacity for growth of SMEs. The initial steps to introduce new forms of financing, which also reflects the serious turnover generated in the sector were made. In the strategy for the film industry of Sofia, alternative financial instruments such as investment fund and bank guarantees, with which Sofia will support its film industry appeared for the first time.
Indicators at national level regarding cultural and creative industries
Cultural employment (% of total employment) – 3,71%
Value added in cultural sectors (% of value added in total services): All cultural sectors – 4,5%
Exports of cultural goods - 94 mln BGN
Imports of cultural goods – 120 mln BGN
Last update: March, 2020
Book publishing in Bulgaria is a private business. The state supports the industry through the Book Help Programme, but only in the case of individual publications that are either particularly expensive or valuable to the public. In 2018, 67 books were supported with this programme. Publishers can apply for a project grant to the Ministry of Culture. Support for specialised publications can be obtained from the National Culture Fund.
Last update: March, 2020
Film investors
The state is a major investor for the Bulgarian film industry through the National Film Centre. According to the National Film Center in 2016, the public funding for the Bulgarian film industry in 2015 was around EUR 6,750,000 (BGN 13,200,000). Other investors with a total sum of less than one million euro were the Bulgarian National Television, the National Culture Fund (support for film debuts) and the Municipality Cultural Programme of Sofia. Market funds in the budget of film projects in Bulgaria come from the prior sale of the distribution rights of a film.
Producers
The producers' market consists mainly of micro-companies. More than 700 independent producers are registered, but less than 10% of them have managed permanent employment through winning a project.
The Bulgarian film industry had a positive eight-year dynamic for the period 2008-2015, under the observed economic indicators:
- Added value – 138.1%.
- Organisations – 94.45%.
- Increase of employed and hired personnel – 71.8% and 71.4%.
- Direct foreign investments – 81.5%.
The remarkable results also contrasted with the trends in the Bulgarian economy during part of this period: recession, decline in employment and increase in unemployment, negative economic growth at the beginning of the period 2009-2010, and an economic growth of less than 1% for the period 2011-2012.
Information is currently not available.
Last update: March, 2020
Until 1989, the state had a centralised design policy with multiple centres for fashion design, industrial design, and more. In recent years, this sector has been absolutely market-driven, developing without state-level dynamic support, and is among the top three sectors in the value-added cultural and creative industries.
One of the important design events in Bulgaria is ONE DESIGN WEEK. This is an international festival of design and visual culture which takes place in the city of Plovdiv every June. Its programme includes a professional forum with distinguished names from around the world and an extensive programme of events aimed at the broader audience – including exhibitions, workshops, discussions, talks, screenings, parties and a kids programme. The festival's first edition was in 2009 and it has been successful ever since.
Last update: March, 2020
According to the satellite balance for culture of the NSI (2016), which monitors the expenditures of tourists: Services related to cultural events (ie cultural tourism) have generated income from foreigners - BGN 656.00 million and from Bulgarian citizens - BGN 108.90 million. 764.9 million BGN.