Following the significant public interest we have observed over time regarding the Omnia Hall, for which the National Centre for Dance in Bucharest has been taking steps in recent years to transform the space into a future House of Dance, the institution sent a letter to the Ministry of Culture at the end of last year requesting information on the status of the building’s renovation and rehabilitation process.
Below is the response from the Ministry of Culture:
Ms. Varvara-Cătălina ȘTEFĂNESCU
Manager
NATIONAL CENTER FOR DANCE BUCHAREST
Dear Madam Manager,
Following the letter from the National Dance Center Bucharest (CNDB), registered with the Ministry of Culture under no. 4318/18.11.2025, regarding the request for information on the status of the steps taken to take over the Omnia Hall building by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), as well as to identify a suitable location for the CNDB to carry out its activities, we hereby inform you of the following:
The investment objective “Remodeling, consolidation, and addition of floors to the Omnia Hall for conversion into the Bucharest National Dance Center” was excluded from the financing list of the Project for the completion of construction, renovation, or rehabilitation of cultural buildings of public interest in Romania, financed in partnership with the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), following a procedure initiated in 2025 at the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which my predecessor as Minister of Culture had approved. The exclusion was legislated by Government Decision No. 550/12.06.2025, adopted after obtaining the express agreement of the CEB.
In this context, the Ministry of Culture (MC) and the National Centre for Dance in Bucharest no longer have the authority or responsibility to continue investing in this property. Furthermore, at present, there is no set timetable for the actual transfer of the property, which prompted us to initiate discussions with the MAI in October 2025 with a view to identifying compensatory solutions, including by proposing a memorandum of understanding on a possible transfer of administration to the MC of another property for cultural use to be ceded by the MAI. To date, these steps have not received a firm response, although there is full openness for the dialogue to continue and for the actual takeover of the Omnia Hall by the MAI to be carried out simultaneously with the takeover by the MC of a property from the Interior Ministry’s portfolio.
We would also like to inform you that the MC has recently initiated and conducted a series of inter-institutional consultations and discussions with other ministries and public authorities, with the aim of identifying buildings and/or land located in the central area of Bucharest that could meet the institutional needs of the CNDB. These efforts are currently ongoing until a technically, legally, and administratively viable solution is drafted, which will be discussed in detail with the CNDB.
The Ministry of Culture is fully aware of the difficulties caused by the lack of a permanent headquarters for the CNDB and reaffirms its willingness to analyze, together with the relevant departments, any feasible proposal that could lead to ensuring adequate operating conditions for the institution. Our efforts in this regard are ongoing, as evidenced by the above.
We assure the management and staff of the CNDB of our active concern regarding the situation of the institution and the impact that the lack of its own headquarters has on its activity, as well as our full availability for open dialogue and cooperation in order to identify sustainable solutions that meet the specific needs of the Center.
With kind regards,
Demeter András István
Minister of Culture