The Romanian Culture Minister has resigned after saying he didn't understand why such a high amount was spent on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, adding he was "shocked" when he realised the amount of Shakespeare festivals that could be organised with the money.

Daniel Barbu submitted his resignation on Thursday, December 12, several days after making the comments at the end of a cultural event at the National Theater in Craiova. Answering some questions from the audience, Barbu said he was surprised to see the HIV /AIDS prevention and treatment budget was half the budget of the Ministry he led.

“In my opinion, we are not in South Africa, we don't have millions of people affected by this hideous virus. I personally do not understand. I was shocked when I realized how many Shakespeare festivals we could have organized […],” said the former minister. Later on, he issued a release saying he regretted the uninspired comparison and apologized to everyone who felt offended by his inappropriate comments.

The recently vacated seat will be filled after the Prime Minister talks to the leadership of the co-ruling party the National Liberal Party (PNL) and with president Traian Basescu.

Daniel Barbu is a political scientist, publisher, essayist, journalist, and professor at the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Political Science. He has been serving as Culture Minister since December 2012.

editor@romania-insider.com