The Romanian Cultural Institute, a public body founded in 2003, is tasked with raising the profile of Romanian culture around the world. In order to achieve this, it spreads information and spearheads cultural projects involving Romanian artists and writers.
Furthermore, the Romanian Cultural Institute acts as means through which foreign audiences can experience the products of Romanian culture. Cultural exports from Romania are, for the most part, facilitated by the institute’s 16 foreign branches, located in Berlin, Brussels, Budapest (with a subsidiary in Szeged), Istanbul, Lisbon, London, Madrid, New York, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Venice, Vienna and Warsaw. These are tasked with organising high-visibility cultural events adapted to suit the tastes of foreign audiences, while at the same time ensuring that a balance be maintained between their uniqueness and an international appeal.
The Romanian Cultural Institute has developed extremely close ties with Romanian minorities in neighbouring countries as well as with the Romanian diaspora. It aims to facilitate their efforts to preserve their own cultural identity while living abroad.
Not only does the Romanian Cultural Institute target cultural circles abroad, it is also very much involved in supporting cultural activities in Romania. It achieves this through non-refundable financing programmes, scholarships and courses in Romanian language and culture. These include the CANTEMIR Programme, the ‘Constantin Brâncuşi’ and ‘George Enescu’ scholarships (which take place at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris), residency programmes, scholarships for foreign cultural journalists and research scholarships.
In June 2007, the National Book Centre was set up under the auspices of the Romanian Cultural Institute. The mission of this centre is to promote Romanian literature abroad, and it achieves this through a variety of means.
It oversees the financing of translations of Romanian literature through the TPS – Translation and Publication Support and 20 Authors programmes and, through the Publishing Romania programme, produces albums, books and magazines focused on Romanian culture. The centre also supervises the awarding of scholarships to foreign translators, represents Romania at international book fairs and organises meetings between foreign publishers and their Romanian counterparts.
The CANTEMIR Programme was launched in 2006 as a non-refundable financing programme for cultural projects taking place internationally. The programme aims to ensure easier access to Romanian culture, raise the profile of Romanian culture on international cultural markets, and foster links between Romanian and foreign artists. CANTEMIR is structured on three levels, as follows;
Level I, Festivals: Culture by Request, provides support for Romanian cultural operators wishing to ensure Romanian participation at high-profile
international festivals
Level II, Promotion: Culture to Go, is aimed at operators who initiate projects designed to promote culture abroad.
Level III, Co-operation: Culture to Share, assists those participating in cultural co-operation projects designed to encourage inter-cultural dialogue.
Furthermore, Levels II and III support projects developed by foreign operators and aimed at Romania, or projects undertaken outside Romania with a Romanian partner.
ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTION OF RCI
LAW no. 356 of July 11th, 2003 regarding the establishment, organization and function of Romanian Cultural Institute
The Parliament of Romania enacts this law.
Art. 1
(1)The Romanian Cultural Institute, hereinafter called Institute, is established, a public institute of national interest, with legal personality, under the President of Romania’s authority, by the reorganization of Romanian Cultural Foundation and the Publishing House of the Romanian Cultural Foundation.
(2) The headquarters of the Institute is in Bucharest, Aleea Alexandru no. 38, Sector 1.
(3) The Institute carries on its activity in accordance with the legal provisions.
(4) Romanian Cultural Institute proposes the initiation, organization and development of associative capacity, of mobilization and convergence in cultural projects of national interest of all these institutes and non-governmental organizations, professional associations and unions of creation, of representatives of civil societies and independent personalities who may contribute to the fulfillment of the scope and objectives of the Institute.
(5) The activity of Institute involves and includes, under different forms, high reputation personalities inside the country and abroad, appealed to experienced specialists and coordinators of projects, institutionalizing an active partnership with the civil society, to achieve actions and events in the European spirit of cultural communication.
Art. 2
The Institute objectives are the representation, promotion and protection of national culture and civilization inside the country and abroad
Art. 3
The Institute has the following objectives:
a)stimulation and promotion of national values of culture, arts and science;
b)supporting the circulation of value of culture and science from and towards the country , consolidation and amplification, under different forms, of relationships with Romanian communities from abroad;
c)favoring the opening to other cultures of the world and their reception in the Romanian space;
d)supporting the values of "information society" and of "society of knowledge";
e)facilitating the dialogue and collaboration of the personalities and Romanian cultural and scientific communities with partners all over the world;
f)research and evaluation of national cultural phenomenon and its perspectives;
g)performance of studies, analysis, researches, projects and programs regarding the access to culture and education, in partnership with public institutes and non-governmental organizations;
h)conception of projects and development of programs and exchanges with cultural, artistic, scientific, educative, documentary character, by oneself or in cooperation with Romanian Academy, non-governmental institutes, unions of creators, professional, ethnical or religious associations, with other non-governmental organizations, as well as with natural persons inside the country and abroad;
i)encouraging the education of young and adult people in the spirit of respect for the national cultural values and national traditions;
j)encouraging the creation of young people and stimulation of young talents in culture, science and arts, granting of scholarships for studies inside the country and abroad, of prizes and diplomas, as well as the assurance of other forms of material support;
k)development of specific activities in the benefit of culture, national civilization and of Romania image in the world;
l)achievement and editing of some reference works in the field of literature, arts and science, literary works, as well as publications, by oneself or in partnership with specialized institutes inside the country and abroad;
m)achievement in partnership with specialized, public or private institutes from Romania and from abroad, of some studies, analysis and comparative researches for the elaboration of prognosis for different field fields of social and cultural life.
Art. 4
For the fulfillment of its objectives, the Institute may establish, by itself or in partnership, under conditions of law, the economic agents having lucrative character, associations and foundations and may conclude conventions of collaboration with legal or natural persons inside the country and from abroad.
Art. 5
The management of the Institute is assured by:
a)The Board;
b)The Board of Directors;
c) The president of the Institute.
Art. 6
(1)The Board is the deliberative body of the Institute and is made up of 21 members.
(2)The Board is lead by the president of the Institute and has the following composition:
- the president of the Institute;
- one member appointed by the President of Romania;
- one member appointed by the prime-minister;
- an undersecretary appointed by the minister of foreign affairs, by order;
- an undersecretary appointed by the minister of culture and cults, by order;
- an undersecretary appointed by the minister of education, research and youth, by order;
- the president of Romanian Academy or a vice-president appointed by this;
- 14 members appointed by the President of Romania, of which 7 members at the proposal of associations and unions of creators and 7 members at the proposal of the president of the Institute.
(3)The mandate of the members of the Board is of 4 years, with the possibility of renewal.
(4)The president of Romania is the president of honor of the Institute.
Art. 7
(1)The Board has the following obligations:
a)approves strategy, projects and activity programs of the Institute, on internal plan, and external plan;
b)approves the organizational structure and regulation of organization and function of the Institute;
c)endorses the organizational structure and functions of management for the Romanian cultural institutes from abroad;
d)endorses the project of the annual budget of revenues and expenses, based on the substantiation of the Board of Director, as well as the budgetary execution from previous year;
e)approves the report of the Board of Directors regarding the release of management of this for the analyzed period;
f)endorsed the collaboration with internal and international organizations, as well as the affiliation to international organizations.
(2)The Board may delegate one of its obligations to the Board of Directors.
(3)For the exertion of its obligations the Board enacts decisions with the vote of majority of present members.
Art. 8
(1)The Board is met every semester in ordinary meeting, as well as in extraordinary meeting, whenever necessary.
(2)The convocation of ordinary meetings of the Board is made in written, by registered letter or fax, by the president of the Institute, with not more than 7 days before the date of the meeting, mentioning the date, hour and place of development and agenda of the meeting.
(3)The convocation of extraordinary meetings of the Board may be made upon the President of Romania’s request, or president of the Institute or one fourth of the total number of the members. The convocation is made nominally, by any mean of communication, mentioning the agenda, date, hour and place of development.
Art. 9
(1)The Board is legally constituted in the presence of majority of its members and enacts decisions with the vote of majority of present members.
(2)In case, at the first convocation, the Board is legally constituted, the second convocation is organized for two weeks, with the observance of the provisions of this law, and the decisions will be enacted with the vote of majority of the present members, regardless of their number.
Art. 10
(1)The Board of Directors is the body which assures the executive management of current activity of the Institute and is made up of 7 members, one of whom is the president of the Institute, and 6 are members appointed by this between the coordinators of departments or of publications of the Institute.
(2)The mandate of the members of the Board is of 4 years, with the possibility of renewal; members of the Board of Directors present the activity report annually to the Board.
(3)Board of Directors enacts decisions with the vote of majority of its members.
(4)Board of Directors has the following obligations:
a)assures the fulfillment of decisions of the Board;
b)assures the achievement of strategy and activity programs of the Institute;
c)elaborates the project of budget of revenues and expenses and budgetary execution on previous year;
d)assures the achievement of projects of public-private partnership with institutions inside the country and from abroad;
e)elaborates the project of the regulation of organization and function of the Institute, as well as its organization chart;
f)fulfills any other obligations settled by the Board.
(5)The obligations of the Board of Directors are shared to its members, according to the departments of the Institute.
Art. 11
(1)Board of Directors is met in ordinary meetings once per month and in extraordinary meetings whenever necessary.
(2)The convocation of the meetings is made by the president of the Institute.
(3)The meetings of the Board are legally constituted in the presence of at least 5 members.
(4)The meetings of the Board of Directors are presided by the president of the Institute, or in its absence, by another member appointed by the president according to the law.
(5)In exertion of the obligations of the Board of Directors enacts decisions with the vote of half plus one of the number of its members.
(6)At the meetings of the Board, other coordinators of specialty departments may participate with consultative status, settled by the organization chart.
Art. 12
(1)The operative management of the Institute is assured by a president, who is appointed and revoked by the President of Romania; the function of president of Institute is assimilated to that of undersecretary.
(2)The mandate of the president is of 4 years, with the possibility to be renewed.
(3)The function of the president of the Institute is incompatible with the capacity of member of a party.
(4)The president of the Institute exerts the following obligations:
a)coordinated the whole activity of the Institute;
b)represents the Institute in relationships with Romanian and foreign natural and legal persons;
c)concludes legal acts, on behalf the Institute, according to the law;
d)fulfills any other obligations provided by the law.
(5)In exertion of his obligations, the president issues orders and instructions, in accordance with the law.
(6)The president is the main fund manager.
(7)The president may delegate a part of his obligations to some members of the Board of Directors, appointed according to the law.
Art. 13
(1)Besides the president of the Institute, a consultative council functions made up of high reputation personalities in the field of culture, arts, education and science, inside the country and from abroad.
(2)The composition, organization and function of the consultative council are approved by the president of the Institute.
Art. 14
The maximum number of jobs of Institute is settled by Government decision, upon the proposal of the president of the Institute, with the notice of the President of Romania.
Art. 15
(1)The external activity of the Institute is developed through Romanian cultural institutes from abroad, which keep the administrative subordination towards the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(2)The Romanian cultural institutes from abroad develop its activity in collaboration with the diplomatic missions or consular offices from respective countries.
Art. 16
For the support of the external activity of the Institute, by Romanian cultural institutes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assure:
a)containing in the state budget of funds for the good function of these institutes;
b)development of programs and projects settled by the Board of the Institute, in accordance with its objectives and for each cultural institute;
c)transport, in regime of diplomatic courier, of documentary materials necessary for the activity of these institutes.
Art. 17
(1)The establishment and dissolving of Romanian cultural institutes from abroad are approved by Government decision, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of Ministry of Culture and Cults and of the Institute.
(2)The organizational structure and regulation of organization and function of Romanian cultural institutes from abroad are settled, upon the proposal of the Institute, by common order of the Minister of foreign affairs, the Minister of culture and cults and president of the Institute.
Art. 18
(1)The Romanian cultural institutes from abroad are managed by a director and a deputy director, functions incompatible with the capacity of member of a party.
(2)The director of the Romanian Cultural Institute from abroad has diplomatic degree of counselor minister and the deputy director has a diplomatic degree of counselor.
(3The appointment of directors and deputy directors is made, upon the request of the president of the Institute, by common order of the minister of foreign affairs, the minister of culture and cults and president of the Institute, for a mandate of 4 years, with the possibility of renewal for one more mandate; the director of Academia di Romania from Rome and Romanian Cultural Institute and Humanistic Research from Venice are appointed upon proposal of the president of Academy of Romania.
Art. 19
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports, through the Diplomatic Academy, the organization of training, professional training courses for the personnel who will be sent in permanent mission to the Romanian Cultural Institutes from abroad, in cooperation with the institutes of university or post-graduate education or other specialized institutes in the promotion of international culture and cooperation.
Art. 20
(1)During the period of permanent mission abroad the specialty personnel of the Romanian Cultural Institutes, excepting the technical administrative personnel, benefit of the rights and is subjected to the obligations from the Charter of Diplomatic Corps and consular of Romania.
(2)The personnel of the Romanian Cultural Institutes from abroad can not make, as a rule, permanent missions abroad with duration more than 4 consecutive years; after each permanent mission abroad, the personnel of the Cultural Institute turn back to the activity at the previous job.
Art. 21
(1)The budget of revenues and expenses of the Institute is elaborated based on programs. The current and capital expenses of the Institute are financed of the own revenues and subsidies of the state budget.
(2)The own revenues of the Institute are constituted of the sale of editorial products, organization of sessions, conferences, cultural, artistic and scientific manifestations, realization of studies, analysis and programs based on the contracts of research, as well as projects in public-private partnership and used by the Institute, according to the law.
(3)The institute may receive and use donations and sponsorships, according to the law.
(4)The Romanian Cultural Institutes from abroad are financed from the state budget by a distinct chapter contained in the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Art. 22
The Institute takes over without payment of the patrimony of Romanian Cultural Foundation and Publishing House of the Romanian Cultural Foundation, including the offices where these develop activity, based on the delivery receipt protocol concluded within 30 days since the date of entering into force of this law, in accordance with the last annual financial statement, updated according to the legal provisions.
Art. 23
(1)The employment of the personnel of the Institute is made on the basis of competition or exam, under conditions of law.
(2)The personnel of the Romanian Cultural Foundation and of the Publishing House of the Romanian Cultural Foundation is taken over, based on the test of knowledge, within the limit of number of posts and is considered transferred on business.
(3)The appointment of members of the Board is made by persons provided at the art. 6 paragraph (2), within 30 days since the date of entering into force of this law.
Art. 24
The remuneration of the personnel of the Institute is made in accordance with the legislation regarding the remuneration in budgetary system.
Art. 25
(1)Within 90 days since this law enters into force, the Romanian cultural centers from abroad are reorganized as cultural institutes.
(2)The Romanian cultural institutes from abroad will benefit of endowments for activities settled in this law.
Art. 26
On the date of entering into force of this law the Government Decision no. 354/1990 regarding the establishment of the Romanian Cultural Foundation, republished in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 218 from September 22nd, 1994, and the Government Decision no. 1.208/1990 regarding the establishment of the Publishing House of Romanian Cultural Foundation, published in The Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 109 from May 27th, 1992, as well as any other contrary provisions.
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This law was enacted by the Senate in the meeting from June 26th, 2003, with the observance of provisions of art. 74 paragraph (2) of the Constitution of Romania.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
NICOLAE VĂCĂROIU
This law was enacted by the Chamber of Deputies in the meeting from June 27th, 2003, with the observance of provisions of art. 74 paragraph (2) of the Constitution of Romania.
p. PRESIDENT OF CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES,
VIOREL HREBENCIUCPublished in the Official Gazette with number 529 from the date July 23rd, 2003
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