Since last Saturday, when it was posted on opengov.gr and put up for public discussion, until the moment these lines were written, the new bill of the Ministry of Culture, which aims to modernize the five largest museums in the country, has been “downloaded” about 200 times. This not a little, given the specialized nature of the draft law, and it is likely that by January 28, when consultations are completed, the draft law will have been sufficiently discussed by the interested parties.

He also proposes an important change: the National Archaeological Museum, the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum, the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, the Byzantine and Christian Museum and the Museum of Byzantine Culture should be cut off from the services of the Ministry of Culture and turned into legal entities of public law in order to gain greater autonomy and flexibility. This means, among other things, that museums will be encouraged to take the initiative to increase their revenues, collaborate with overseas institutions and set up affiliates, and their resources will now also include international and European grants, as well as donations and sponsorships. The general director who will manage them will appear after an international invitation and evaluation by a special commission based on qualifications, and the president and vice president of their administrative councils will be appointed by the decision of the minister of culture and personalities who have contributed to their field will be selected.

How does an experienced archaeologist perceive what has been said? According to Vassilis Lambrinoudakis, emeritus professor of classical archeology at the University of Athens, the change in the legal status of museums means that they will be able to move away from state bureaucracy and act more flexibly, show more initiative and develop “a new, their own identity, which, in addition to protecting exhibits, will also include their better visibility in society”; they will also be able to move better financially, as they will seek not only a state grant (which will also exist in the new regime), but also their participation in European or other programs, as well as attracting private grants. “The latter does not mean that the cultural fund of museums is privatized, but that there will be money to activate it for the benefit of society,” notes Mr. Lambrinoudakis and adds that in order to secure private funds, the presence of knowledgeable persons is necessary. financial and legal issues.

He himself remembers such discussions when he was a member of the Central Archaeological Council, when he ardently supported them, as he does now, for a different reason: “Five museums,” says Vassilis Lambrinoudakis, “are translocal, and their content concerns the culture of the whole country. Therefore, being supralocal, they are not directly related to the work done by the Ephorates of Antiquities, and can be transformed into NPAP. This does not mean that they will not be under the control of the ministry – it is clear that this will be the case under the new regime. We also have the example of the Acropolis Museum, which I think has flourished and is flourishing.”

Museums will be encouraged to take the initiative to increase their revenues, and their resources will also include European grants.

Petros Temelis also supports proposals for a new bill that he believes will give museums financial independence and managerial autonomy. At the same time, given the age-old everyday fears about the selection of persons for administrative positions, the leading archaeologist emphasizes that “there must be meritocracy and transparency regarding who gets in and why.” Mr. Temelis welcomes the fact that the term of office of the administrative bodies will be three years (with the possibility of a two-time extension), as this will avoid “permanence”, and also suggests the following: an age limit for managerial positions, for example, 50 or 60 years he says. “Maturity is needed in these positions – which in specific professions comes a little later than in positive sciences – but I think that in nine years, when managers are 70 years old, they would be good to leave.”

But whether or not there are age limits, isn’t it also likely that museums will be run by people who, because they no longer have a long scientific career, will not have the appropriate profile? The concerns of archaeologist Kostas Paschalidis, curator of antiquities of the Prehistoric Collection of the National Archaeological Museum and member of the Board of Directors. Association of Greek Archaeologists, do not shy away from the above question. He recalled that the president and vice-president of the boards of directors will be chosen “from among individuals who have contributed to the relevant professional or public sphere.” The same applies to the next three members, while only the last two came from the ministry.

“Five out of seven people on the board of directors are called upon as a “person” to manage, decide on proposals and approve a number of things that can be internal and external borrowings of antiquities, transferring entire collections to branches abroad. , the exchange of antiquities, exhibition policy, disciplinary matters and everything related to the work of the museum,” says Mr. Paschalidis and continues: “The ex officio board of directors of the Louvre Museum consists of leading scientists and prominent figures, but they are 7 of the 19 members. People who do not have special experience and education do not make up the majority, and the chairman of the board and the manager are not two different people.”

Finally, he adds one more thing: “When we talk about the creation of branches of museums within the country and abroad, we are talking about the constant export of entire collections, even those that may be in the warehouse of the museum. Which countries need such collections?” asks Mr. Paschalidis. “First world countries that already have metropolitan museums with archaeological collections? We already have 240 archaeological museums inside the country. Therefore, I think that the creation of branches is done to appease the outside world.”