Democratic Rally (DISY) has accused the Deputy Ministry of Culture of months-long "administrative dysfunction," blaming Director General George Papageorgiou and calling on the new Deputy Minister to take direct political responsibility and present a concrete plan to restore normal operations.
In a written statement, Dr Efi Kyprianidou, DISY's Culture Portfolio Coordinator on the party's Council for Monitoring Government Work, pointed to months-long delays in major sponsorship programmes, the formation of evaluation committees and a growing backlog of pending matters, alongside what she described as deeper problems in how the ministry's General Directorate is run.
Kyprianidou said the General Directorate had failed to meet its own deadlines, left uncertainty over how evaluators are selected, and given artists and cultural bodies inadequate official information. She said the delays have had knock-on effects on festivals, productions and international collaborations, leaving people and organisations unable to plan without knowing if or when they will secure funding.
Workplace complaints add to the pressure
The statement also referenced complaints from Deputy Ministry employees, who allege they are working in "an environment of centralisation and authoritarian behaviour." Kyprianidou called the complaints "extremely serious," stressing that they "can neither be ignored nor dismissed outright."
She criticised Papageorgiou's public response to the complaints, saying that instead of acknowledging their seriousness and helping investigate them, he chose to attribute staff reactions to "failure to carry out their duties and excessive use of leave." She described this as "a blanket dismissal" that risks "further souring the working atmosphere."
DISY calls for a concrete plan
DISY is calling on the new Deputy Minister to "immediately assume the political responsibility that falls to her" and exercise substantive institutional oversight of the delays and dysfunction. The party is also demanding an independent, impartial investigation into the complaints and dialogue with employees, artists and cultural organisations.
"There is no more time to lose," Kyprianidou said, pointing more broadly to the absence of an updated national strategy for contemporary culture, a lack of measurable targets and policy evaluation, and unclear boundaries between political and administrative leadership.
DISY is calling on the Deputy Minister to make clear, "through specific decisions and timelines," how she intends to restore normal operations, transparency and trust in the Deputy Ministry of Culture.
