The creation of a new law for Bulgarian cultural heritage was the basis of the fifth annual forum of Radio France International, which took place on November 29 2006. The forum gathered many specialists to discuss how the cultural heritage of Bulgaria chold be preserved for the coming generations. Culture Minister Stefan Danilov, who could not be present, sent his address to the attendees of the event.

One of the spokesmen at the forum was professor Todor Krustev, honorary chairman of the Bulgarian National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (icomos-bg.org). During the debate on the topic “What should be the philosophy for preserving of cultural heritage in Bulgaria?”, Krustev pointed out that the law practised in France in this field deserved attention, as the country has one of the most conservative, meaning preservation-focused, laws in the world. He also stressed that the lack of regulations for cultural monuments in Bulgaria gives great freedom to people's behaviour towards these monuments.

Krustev pointed out five main points on which the Bulgarian law should be based. The first one, according to him, was a general change in the content and meaning of the concept of cultural heritage. Second is the need for co-ordination between archaeological surveys and site construction activities. Here Krustev gave the example of the town of Nessebar on the Black Sea coast, where, while the old part of the town is a historical monument, construction is still out of control. According to Krustev, cultural heritage should also be a resource for development of Bulgaria in a sustainable way. The fourth main point is the need for a different management philosophy in the field, such as one that is decentralised, open and liberal, but not in such a centralised way as the country's culture heritage has been managed so far. The fifth main point on which the new cultural law should be based was the development of a completely new policy for financing the preservation of cultural monuments.

Nikolas Kontrakios, first councillor in the embassy of Greece in Bulgaria, was a honourary guest at the discussion. He spoke about the creation of the law for cultural heritage in Greece that has existed since 2002. Other guests at the forum were Deputy Minister of Culture Ivan Tokadjiev; the chairwoman of the Culture Commission within Parliament Nina Chilova; eight members of the commission; professor Nikolai Ovcharov, archaeologist; the executive director of Trakia Foundation Kiril Hristoskov; the director of The Red House Centre for Culture and Debate Desislava Gavrilova; numismatist Ilya Prokopov; vice president of IKOMOS architect Yordanka Kandulkova; restorer Stefan Belishki; Sofia University representative Iva Kyumdjieva; and architect Pavel Popov.