The ministry’s most glaring shortcoming has been its approach to national cinema. Of the approximately 5,000 films that make up the country’s historical heritage, only 53 films, valued at 9 million lei, are officially recorded in the Ministry of Culture’s accounting records. The remainder of the film collection is divided amongst several institutions, which for years have failed to carry out an inventory, valuation or proper record-keeping of these films.
A similar situation has arisen with regard to property: of the 656 state-protected sites with monument status, only two appear in the reports. And of the total of 914,400 museum exhibits, only 10,900, worth 1.05 billion lei, were recorded in the accounts – representing 1.2 per cent of the total. More than 130 buildings, with a total area of over 26,000 square metres, have not been included on the balance sheet at all.
Hundreds of millions without clear criteria
The auditors also raised serious concerns regarding the allocation of budget funds. A significant portion of the department’s total expenditure went to creative groups:
- 424.6 million lei were allocated to theatres and concert organisations in the form of subsidies and grants. However, the ministry had no regulated criteria whatsoever for the distribution of these funds.
- Audit of financial statements: Serious shortcomings were identified during the audit of the recipients’ own contributions (to cultural and media projects), as well as the accuracy of the financial statements they submitted.
The Ministry of Culture’s overall financial figures for the reporting period amounted to 3.1 billion lei in assets, 850.2 million lei in revenue and 820.9 million lei in expenditure.
What next?
The Court of Auditors has sent the Ministry of Culture and the Public Property Agency a set of 17 strict recommendations. The ministry has already begun to implement some of them; however, it is obliged to fully rectify the irregularities, restore the accounting records of the National Film Fund and streamline the subsidy system within a strictly defined timeframe – by 21 February 2027.
This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.
Follow our updates
Have information for the newsroom? Share it with Logos-Press
Comments
0No comments yet. You can start the conversation.
Comments are open to readers with a Logos Press account.
Sign in to comment