Misuse of Eurofunds and the Disneyfication of Bulgarias Cultural Heritage

PRESS RELEASE: 2 April 2015

The premier Centre for Culture and Debate in Sofia, The Red House, hosted a panel
discussion and public debate, Disneyland Bulgaria, on 17 March 2015 organized by the
Department of Cultural Studies at University of Sofia. Led by Professor Ivaylo Dichev,
Dotsent Rayna Gavrilova and Dotsent Georgi Vulchev, the debate focused on how the
uncontrolled and destructive implementation of a European Union (EU) Regional
Development programme over 200814 designed to enhance the tourist potential of
cultural and historical attractions has led to the Disneyfication and degradation of
Bulgarias ancient and medieval archaeological heritage.
The debate highlighted some of the most glaring cases of damage inflicted on
Bulgarias major archaeological sites and historic monuments targeted by the EU
programme. It scrutinized as well the wider systemic problems of the conceptualization and
application of the programme. Future joint initiatives of Bulgarian academic institutions,
professional associations and expert bodies to raise national and international awareness of
the scale of the rapidly growing threat to the archaeological and cultural heritage in Bulgaria
and seek ways to limit and prevent its ongoing and further escalation were discussed.
The main topics discussed at the public debate included:

Analyses of the procedural and logistic reasons for the misuse of the substantial EU
funding which has led to the destruction and degradation of major archaeological sites
and historic monuments in Bulgaria by being built over or defaced with hypothetical and
fanciful reconstructions the replacement of the countrys important cultural heritage
with a Disneyland- like theme park.

The cronyist, non-transparent and corrupt practices of municipal authorities (to whom
the EU funds are directed) in the appointment of construction teams with little or no
expertise or experience in conservation and restoration to carry out work at these
important archaeological and historic sites. Despite a stream of alerts and complaints
about these irregularities and fraudulent procedures to the relevant Bulgarian
institutions (including an official declaration of the Bulgarian National Committee of
ICOMOS in June 2014), no adequate action or measures have been taken to probe or
even partially limit these widespread practices.

The blatant damage and disfigurement inflicted on some of Bulgarias most emblematic
archaeological and historical sites by the EU-funded programme has provoked growing
Europhobic reactions in the Bulgarian public, which places the blame directly on the
European Union, rather than on the mis-implementation of the programme at national
level.

A number of scholars and experts called for enquiries into the core procedures of this
particular EU programme and whether some of its provisions might have allowed such a
radical deviation from its original goals to occur. The EC Regional Development
Directorate has stated that in the framework of shared management it is content for
an internal investigation of the controversial projects to be carried out by the national
managing authority, declaring this to be the responsibility of the EU member state.
Questions about the EUs lack of monitoring of such projects carried out under its
framework is especially topical in the light of its recent official statement on the value of
cultural heritage to the European project in which it defined cultural heritage as a
unique non-renewable and non-replaceable resource (Council of the European Union,
Conclusions on cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable Europe,
Brussels, 20 May 2014, No. 4).

Participants highlighted the ongoing and escalating campaign against professional

associations and expert bodies such as the National Institute for the Protection of
Monuments (which has been trying to curb some of the excess of the EU-funded
Disneyfication programme) started by some government officials in the winter of 2015
whose final goal clearly aims to close down the institute which has the legal powers to
check and slow down the future unbridled rebuilding campaigns at archaeological sites,
planned for the next stages of the EU Regional Development Programme.

The Disneyfication and destruction of Bulgarian cultural heritage will be the subject of a
major international conference in late May, co-organized by the Department of Cultural
Studies at the University of Sofia, the Union of Bulgarian Architects, the Bulgarian National
Committee of ICOMOS, the Association of Conservator-restorers and other professional
associations and heritage activist groups and with the participation of international
conservation experts. The conference will include inspection visits to the affected sites and
aims to adopt a Charter for the Safeguarding of Bulgarian Cultural Heritage in the
circumstances of the unmonitored EU programmes which will be circulated to national and
international institutions dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage.
The public debate in The Red House (click on language icon top right for English-language
summary) can be found at: http://www.redhouse-sofia.org/Event.aspx?id=12787) and can
be watched at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3QU4urH9ck
For an analysis of one of the most destructive projects carried out under the controversial
EU-funded programme and a picture gallery of the site, see:
http://safeconnect.org/profiles/blogs/threat-to-unique-black-sea-archaeological-reserveescalates-as?xg_source=activity
For further information contact: Citizens Initiative for Protection of the Cultural
Heritage (GIOKIN) at giokin@abv.bg