Dan Surucianu
This year’s budget has exceeded 1 billion lei for the first time. The agency intends to evaluate projects and initiatives more thoroughly in order to use public funds more effectively.
“We must make progress on the issue of efficiency. Efficiency is the most important criterion from a management perspective; it must be present everywhere, including in the cultural sector. We will continue to collect metrics and data and evaluate a greater number of projects and initiatives more thoroughly in order to be more effective in spending public funds,” the minister said on public radio.
Direct Funding for Individuals
This fall, the ministry plans to present an action plan for the 2027 budget. The ministry also intends to set funding priorities.
“What I can say for certain is that the ministry will set priorities for funding. There is already a working mechanism in place, namely the National Office for Cultural Development and the National Cultural Fund. We want this to be a key mechanism—an effective mechanism for redistributing funds to various programs, such as access to culture, support for NGOs, and so on,” the minister noted.
In addition, the ministry plans to provide direct funding to individuals working in the cultural sector.
Low Salaries for Cultural Workers
Separately, the minister highlighted the problem of low wages for cultural workers. The ministry intends to conduct an analysis of the sector and identify areas where intervention is needed in the near future.
“It’s no secret that museum workers, library directors, performing artists, and theater workers are people with very low salaries. We are aware of this and will work to address it. We will attempt to conduct a sort of diagnostic assessment of the sector. And where possible, there are specific areas in which we will need to intervene in the very near future,” Suruceanu clarified.
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