A former minister of culture and national heritage spoke at a Sejm press conference to express concern about the actions underway within the Ministry of Culture, led by Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz. He described the current approach as damaging and argued that a constructive plan has not been articulated for the term. The expert pointed out that fifty days into the term, there has been no presentation of concrete projects. He warned that a substantial budget previously aligned with cultural and historical preservation programs appears uncertain under the new leadership.
According to the former deputy prime minister who once supervised the ministry, the 2024 budget for culture was notably reduced from its earlier level. The critic asserted that the lofty investments planned for monument protection and museum development may no longer be feasible under the current trajectory, highlighting the risk to key cultural infrastructure projects.
The speaker underscored what he described as breaches of law and constitutional norms, along with the destabilization of institutions vital to democracy, including public media. He remarked that the ministry has engaged in what he termed liquidation actions across various cultural sectors in just fifty days. The budget for 2024, he claimed, is smaller than anticipated, with a reduction from the planned 24 percent increase to an actual rise of 18 percent. He cited informal decisions that appeared to contradict internal guidelines, such as promises made to individual institutions about budgets that could reach fifty percent in some cases. Specific examples were given, including reductions to the Institute for the Heritage of National Thought and to the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, a leading organization promoting Polish culture abroad.
– the speaker noted.
He described the move to merge cultural institutions as a pretext aimed at placing preferred individuals into leadership roles. In his view, these so‑called mergers are not genuine reorganizations but attempts to reshape management by installing new personnel aligned with the ministry’s current leadership. He contrasted this with previous years when mergers occurred only after substantial justification and clear alignment of their missions. The speaker cited the merger of the National Heritage Institute and the National Institute for the Conservation of Monuments as a recent example of a problematic consolidation, arguing that the two bodies historically addressed distinct issues. He explained that the latter entity was preparing for the creation of a National Agency for the Revitalization of Monuments, an agency intended to tackle long-standing urban revitalization and the upkeep of historic structures that had gone unfunded. A formal framework had been prepared, yet, according to him, a critical step was missed in the process.
– he emphasized.
According to the speaker, the anticipated reform was designed to replace senior staff with trusted appointees and to reframe the ministry’s approach without a credible long-term plan. He reiterated that no clear agenda had been unveiled after fifty days, and he expressed alarm about plans to halt the development of new cultural and memory institutions. He pointed to smaller projects such as a proposed Paderewski museum in Otwock and a memorial museum dedicated to the victims of the Volhynian massacre. He noted that a contract with the city for 2024 carried an allocation of around 500,000 zlotys within a multi‑billion‑zloty budget, and argued that the funds should be available to support these cultural investments under the new leadership. The speaker concluded with a call for accountability and for a transparent, well‑defined plan for the ministry’s cultural agenda.
– a senior voice in the discussion concluded.
Further commentary highlighted ongoing concerns about the direction of cultural policy abroad and at home. The dialogue among policymakers and cultural advocates continues as the government’s approach to heritage and memory institutions attracts heightened attention. The broader debate centers on how to preserve national culture while ensuring robust governance within the ministry and related public bodies. The discussion in Sejm reflects a broader public interest in accountability, strategic planning, and the sustainable support of Poland’s cultural landscape.
Source attribution: wPolityce