Background: Bulgaria’s center-right GERB cabinet can hardly be said to have a soft spot for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). In 2009 FinMin Simeon Djankov called researchers at the Academy “feudal dotards”, and all through 2010 members of cabinet have been talking of disbanding it, or placing its institutes under the government’s authority. The 2010 budget for BAS was cut by a staggering 38% compared to 2009, a fact that has recently provoked a resonating review article in Nature. All through 2010 indignant researchers have been out on protest. Events culminated in late November when a group of back-bench GERB MPs abled a draft amendment law on BAS to Parliament. The act, currently under review by the house, does not, at least literally, close down BAS, but involves the removal of the central governing body of BAS and the splitting of its institutes into “independent” units under the direct authority of the Minsiter of Education. Early 2011 members of the cabinet and BAS representatives met on two consultative meetings, to no apparent results.

Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) talked to BAS Scientific Secretary General Prof. Stefan Hadjitodorov about the latest developments. Prof. Hadjitodorov is part of BAS’s Center of Biomedical Engineering and has published widely in the field of biomedical informatics.

This week’s meeting of BAS academicians with Minister of Education Sergey Ignatov fell through because of the minister’s refusal to let in media representatives. What disappointed you in Minister Ignatov’s attitude?

The first disappointment is that Minister Ignatov obviously has something to hide from independent journalism. I don’t know what that is, but we are absolutely convinced that the problems of science and research in Bulgaria, in particular those concerning BAS, must be absolutely transparent for the public. A second disappointment has to do with the fact that whenever and in whatever formats we invite Minister Ignatov to meet in a time that is convenient for him, he nevertheless refuses and up to now such a meeting on our invitation has not taken place. Third, no matter how few meetings and discussions we have had with the minister (usually after street protests on our part), the interpretations presented by him to the media after the meetings are so strange that one starts wondering whether one was actually present at the actual meeting. Fourth, everyone at BAS knows that the draft law envisioned by Minister Ignatov and tabled to Parliement is de facto intended to close down our institution.

What potential can you see in future similar consultative meetings with members of the Council of Ministers?

Dialogue is always better than lack of dialogue. But if the results stay the way they have been up to now, then I am not sure such meetings really have a future.

In what manner does the Academy intend to further counteract the pressure coming from the government? Have you scheduled new protests?

This decision will be taken by the General Assembly of BAS. Up to now it has not been formally discussed.

One of the most frequently used words by Education Minister Ignatov and FinMin Djankov is "reforms." During the last few weeks, in what ways did they specify or give more details about the reforms they envision as necessary for BAS?

Up to now none of them has said anything specific about the “reforms” they require of BAS. From their statements one cannot even learn whether they approve of the internal reforms that BAS itself has been effecting for a year now. And since they time and again repeat the chief moments of the draft bill tabled by MP Stoilov, which aims at the dismantling of BAS, so then obviously that is the two ministers’ “specification” of the reforms they want.

At the meeting on January 10 the representatives of the government promised that “improvements” are going to be made in the draft bill on BAS tabled by GERB MPs. What were those improvements? Is there a softening of the cabinet’s position for separating the institutes from the Academy and placing them under the rule of the Council of Ministers?

No, there are no changes in their position. I cannot see how this draft bill can be improved if BAS’s institutes are to be placed under the rule of the Minister of Education and their autonomy is taken away. The draft bill must simply be retracted.

Why does BAS’s request to remain a first-level spending unit meet with such resistance?

I don’t know why. The official answer is that in Bulgaria only ministries can be first-level spending units. But that is not true, since the Bulgarian National Television, the Bulgarian National Radio and local municipalities are also first-level spending units.

What is the Academy’s standpoint on the alternative draft bill on BAS that has been tabled by MPs from the rightist Blue Coalition? (It is nowhere as radical as the one submitted by GERB…)

In this draft there are good ideas that can be improved and developed further. As a matter of principle, we would support a bill that provides for the preservation of the scientific and financial autonomy of BAS and its institutes. Control on the part of the state is of course in order – but control does not mean subordination. In the Blue Coalition draft bill this control is being exercised by a Board of Trustees.

During the parliamentary debate on the confidence vote for the cabinet last week, Minister Ignatov stated that if BAS continues to function the way it does so at present, then it is doomed to self-destruction. Please comment.

I don’t know what the minister meant - probably that if the current financial stifling of BAS goes on, then the Academy will not be able to function normally. But this is a “merit” for which ministers Djankov and Ignatov are responsible.

How will BAS deal with its 2011 budget?

Unfortunately the agony will still continue. At present the General Assembly is discussing various measures but they have not been finalized yet.

Please describe what effects the 2010 budget, which was reduced by close to 40% with respect to 2009, on the day-to-day activities of the Academy.

Many activities at the Academy are already been done at a decreased volume and rate (including activities of significance for the whole nation), many researchers are forced to be out on unpaid leave, not a few workers are leaving. Just for the last 2 months more than 200 BAS researchers have left. Even if after a while the budget increases again, I don’t see how we’ll get back those people. They are already “lost” for research. And you know, educating a researcher is a long and slow process.

Bulgarian media continue to publish from time to time questionable opinions regarding an alleged lack of external control and responsibility for BAS activities and funds spent by BAS. Please tell us briefly about the ways the Academy accounts for its work to the public.

This is another manipulation. Each month we present our financial statement to the Ministry of Finance; on a quarterly basis we deliver the ministry a detailed financial statement; and each year the Academy publishes a detailed review of its entire research activity for the period. If the government or public still want more information from us – we’re ready to give it!

What is the development of the issue with BAS’s real estate and other assets, in particular with Kaufland’s interest in buying some property owned by BAS? Do you still think that the BAS estates are the main reason behind the attack?

I think that the estates question was imposed on us from the outside. Already in 2007, some two years before becoming minister, Simeon Djankov stated that the Academy’s properties have to be sold away, and one year later he even estimated the composite price at which they can be sold, USD 250 M. We then made our own study and at the prices near the end of 2008 BAS’s properties must have been worth between 8 and 10 times more, or about USD 2-2.5 B. Regarding the Kaufland case – I cannot blame Kaufland, because they are a private company that simply expressed its interest in a specific property. They had addressed their question to Minister Djankov with a copy to Minister Ignatov, as well as to the BAS President and the governor of Sofia Region. We answered Kaufland, with copies to the other addressees, that the property in question is not for sale. A whole year later (which is strange enough!) Minister Ignatov stated for the media that his ministry is against the sale of the property. But we still don’t know whether FinMin Djankov is also against.

In that whole context what is your opinion of the general policy of the Bulgarian government in the field of science and education?

We at BAS think that this government does not have a clear vision and policy regarding science and research. Some issues – like the one concerning academic degrees – are being solved piecemeal without an integral concept for the development of science and education in Bulgaria.

Do you think that there can be deeper reasons for the campaign against the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences? I mean questions of principle regarding the way in which research should be managed, and more specifically regarding the role of centralized structures like BAS, or the role of the state…

Up to now we can see that the cabinet’s desire is to subordinate research to the Ministry of Education. But that means to subordinate science to the political interests of the day! One can hardly call that “a question of principle.” We can speak of matters of principle is when, taking into account the existing traditions in a given field of public life, one preserves what is positive and eliminates the negatives. BAS has proven itself and is recognized internationally in the form in which it exists at present – and it is folly to destroy something that is working! It can be improved and reformed – which is precisely the goal of the Academy’s self-imposed internal reforms. But this is a process that needs time and cannot be finalized overnight.

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