Adrian Cioroianu: VAT increase on books, a mistake that can seriously affect Romanian culture

Former Foreign Minister and former director of the National Library of Romania, Adrian Cioroianu, launched a public appeal during an anniversary event dedicated to the National Library, drawing attention to the major risk that VAT increase on books would represent, in a context in which cultural and editorial consumption is already in decline.

• "What savings does the state make from sacrificing books?"

Cioroianu explained that a possible VAT increase from 5% to 9%, although it may seem modest in terms of direct impact on the price (for example, 50 lei becoming 53 lei), is in reality a negative symbolic gesture, a "declaration of intent" that communicates the state's lack of interest in education, reading and written culture. "What savings do you think the Romanian state will make by changing VAT to books?", the historian asked rhetorically, pointing out that the real problems are more related to the non-compliance with existing laws, such as the state's obligation to purchase 50 copies of books for every 1,000 inhabitants - an obligation ignored for years.

• 8,300 libraries closed in three decades

Cioroianu recalled that Romania has lost over 8,300 libraries in the last three decades, an alarming statistic that indicates the erosion of basic cultural infrastructure. In parallel, the publishing sector is facing resounding bankruptcies (Diverta, Elefant), and bookstores are slowly disappearing, without state intervention. "This week I was in Timisoara. One of the most beautiful bookstores in the city has closed. I launched two books there,” he said, pointing out that serious publishers will be affected, while waste paper producers "will survive without any problems.”

• The solution: the single book price law

As a concrete alternative, the historian advocated the introduction of a single book price law, following the French model, which saved the bookstore network in the Hexagon. "If Mr. Demeter Andras Istvan, the current Minister of Culture, wants to leave something lasting behind, he could start with this law,” said Cioroianu. In France, thanks to the 1981 law adopted by the Mitterrand government, bookstores were protected, and today Paris has twice as many bookstores as other comparable European capitals.

• The book, between symbol and survival

The former director of the National Library also evoked an emotional moment: the visit to Vila Florica, where the massive wooden library of the Brătienilor is now empty - a painful symbol of the loss of cultural memory. The lack of books, confiscated or burned after 1948, is part of a historical line of contempt for heritage.

The historian claims that without books, without publishing houses and without bookstores, a nation becomes vulnerable not only economically, but also in terms of identity.