Minister János Csák has dismissed the Deputy President of the NKA, and a Facebook post by Balázs Bús, which was published on his page, might be the result of this discussion.

It is indeed possible to speculate that Balázs Bús is leaving because the Fidesz party is nominating him as mayoral candidate for the III. district in the upcoming municipal elections. However, his departure could have been timed even after securing the nomination.

Our information suggests that the conflict arose when the NKA Deputy President expressed criticism regarding the upcoming cultural legislation. He disagreed with the concept of cultural strategy institutions (meaning that there would be a prominent institution in every artistic field) and with the ministry's intention to tighten its relationship with the NKA. The last time similar circumstances occurred was during László L. Simon's tenure, when the Deputy President of the NKA also served as the State Secretary for Culture. Now, according to our sources within the ministry, a similar structure may emerge.

THE NEW CULTURAL REGULATION

Minister János Csák had previously spoken to Index about the new cultural regulation. "The planned cultural regulation will not affect cultural financing but will simplify operating conditions. It standardizes and makes the processes transparent," he said in December 2023. "There are three requirements: what infrastructural, methodological, and personal standards institutions must meet; what continuous training they must undergo; and how the leaders of the institutions are selected. Every funding application will be decided based on the new statistical reporting system we've already introduced or that partly has been operating like this."

János Csák also commented on the NKA in the interview: "The National Cultural Fund (NKA), of which I am the President, could not previously grant operational support, but it was often permissive in its judgments. This was the case with the Society of Writers, who now say we have withdrawn their support – but they never received any. They applied for certain projects, but they did not have continuous funding. They submitted an application for operation now, and the NKA is simply complying with the regulations."

When asked when the new cultural regulation would be completed, he answered last December:

Our goal is next summer. We want to conduct extensive and thorough consultations, for amongst the areas under my purview, culture is the most sensitive. In the arts, there is a need for the biggest cultural change. There are huge personalities in the artistic life: no field is more individualistic than culture. One cannot last long as an individualistic entity at universities among professors, or even in the business world, yet here one encounters sensitivity, vanity, narcissism, and exhibitionism from great artists and pundits, whether justified or not.

THE NKA DISTRIBUTES HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS

The National Cultural Fund was established in 1993, one of the masterminds and founders of which was György Fekete, a distinguished Hungarian interior designer awarded with the title of Artist of the Nation, Kossuth Prize, and Mihály Munkácsy Prize, who also became the first President of the NKA as stated on the organization's website.

The creation of the NKA was preceded by the recognition that there had been no reorganization since the war, and there was a need for a body that could provide the financial basis for restoring the operation of culture and for the widespread dissemination of values.

The National Cultural Fund became a defining player in the financing of Hungarian cultural life both domestically and across the border, distributing more than 200 billion HUF to support programs and creative work that could not have been realized without such patronage. The organization distributes its available funds primarily through a collegiate system that awards and allocates resources to worthy projects.

The Fund’s administration up until December 31, 2016, was managed by the independent budgetary authority, the National Cultural Fund Administration. Since January 1, 2017, the responsibilities were taken over by the Human Resources Support Administrator and as of June 29, 2023, by the National Cultural Support Administrator.

The right to make decisions regarding the Fund in line with sectoral strategic decisions is exercised by the minister responsible for culture, who also serves as the President of the NKA. The Deputy President of the Fund is appointed by the minister taking into account the opinion of the President of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (MMA) for a maximum term of four years.

BALÁZS BÚS POSTS ON FACEBOOK

Balázs Bús was appointed as the Deputy President of the National Cultural Fund on January 1, 2021. "Next year the NKA will be 30 years old as he stated in an interview available on the organization’s website in 2022. It is evident that its operation has been spanning government cycles a stable and predictable form of support and institution for Hungarian cultural life. Continuing and strengthening this tradition is in our common interest."

We reached out to Balázs Bús for comments on the issue, but he was not available. However, he posted this on Facebook: "I am running again in Óbuda! Today I have initiated the termination of my duties as Deputy President of the NKA and the Director-General of the National Cultural Support Administrator at Minister János Csák’s office, considering that I am going to run again as mayoral candidate in the municipal elections for Óbuda. Let’s give Óbuda back to the people of Óbuda!"