Bulgarian Scientists Threaten Self-Destruction over Budget Cuts

Society » EDUCATION | November 3, 2010, Wednesday // 13:12
Bulgaria: Bulgarian Scientists Threaten Self-Destruction over Budget Cuts "BAS Closure - Step towards the Third World", reads one of the banners of the protesting scientists. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has threatened to shut itself down unless the government meets its financial demands.

Several hundred Bulgarian scientists rallied in downtown Sofia Wednesday for a seemingly desperate protest asking the Cabinet for more funds after budget cuts led to reduction of their anyway negligible salaries.

The scientists who spoke at the rally at the National Assembly Square piled vigorous and severe criticism on Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, and appealed to Prime Minister Borisov for changes in their funding.

Prof. Lachezar Avramov from the Electronics Institute of the Academy declared readiness to prepare draft legislation for the shutting down of the Institution, which was founded in 1869, seven years before the founding of the Third Bulgarian State. The academics vowed to resort to this measure because of the lack of state funding.

They urged Borisov to sack not only Finance Minister Djankov but also Education Minister Sergey Ignatov and "to find better people."

"The criteria for an European state is not to have 3 000 km of highways but to have 3% of the GDP spent on research and development," Avramov said.

"Djankov is a person who came to Bulgaria with the self-confidence of a papal cardinal but is actually a mere clerk," renowned Bulgarian artist Svetlin Rusev declared.

A senior activist of the conservative party RZS, Atanas Semov, also joined the scientists slamming the government for allocating BGN 100 M for tapping and "eavesdropping", twice more that the budget of the Academy, and creating a police state. This statement comes at a moment when the policemen are also planning a large-scale protest to demand better equipment and pay.

The specific demands of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences are (in addition to the resignations of the Finance and Education Ministers): increasing the budget subsidy from the state by BGN 111 M, paying additional BGN 10 M for compensations, turning the BAS into a first-order institution that can apportion state funding, and appointing a financial manager of the institution.

A delegation of the Academy led by its Chair Prof. Nikola Sabotinov headed to the Council of Ministers to hand a special declaration to Prime Minister Borisov.

Borisov, however, refused to meet them because of his busy schedule, and the delegation was received by Education Minister Ignatov who accepted the declaration on Borisov's behalf.

Sabotinov said the absence of the PM was a sign of "disrespect" for the scientists.

Hristo Lafchiev from the Union of Young Scientists declared that Ignatov had no right to meet Sabotinov because the former had only one scientific publication and no citations, and that only the PM was worthy enough to receive Sabotinov.

"Everybody's nerves are strained because we are in crisis. But if we grant BGN 1 more, we will end up with a Greek scenario. Do we want a winter as in 1996? We have 6-8 very hard months ahead, and we have to hold out. Nobody can convince me that the Bulgarian education collapsed in one year. It is in its current condition as a result of 20 years of incompetence," Minister Ignatov said.

He said the only realistic demand of the scientists is the appointment of a financial manager.

The BAS protest comes two days after a mass rally of the Sofia University faculty and students who also protested against budget cuts.

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Tags: BAS, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Simeon Djankov, Sergey Ignatov, rally, protest, Hristo Lafchiev, Education Minister, finance minister, Nikola Sabotinov

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