On Monday 7 and Wednesday 8 April, the European Ministers for Culture will meet in Warsaw for an informal meeting led by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
In a press release published ahead of the meeting (https://aeur.eu/f/gai ), the Polish Minister for Culture, Hanna Wróblewska, reiterated the central role of culture in European identity: “In these times of growing division and polarisation, it remains the ground on which we can still come together in our diversity”.
This approach to culture, championed by the Polish minister as a guarantor of European identity and essential to the EU’s security, but also as a common good, intersecting with multiple issues, such as digital transformation, was reflected in the meeting’s agenda.
The discussions will open with a session dedicated to protecting heritage. The Ukrainian Minister of Culture, Mykola Tochytskyi, will talk about his country’s experience in preserving heritage in the context of war. The issue of rebuilding Ukraine’s heritage will also be addressed in the context of European cooperation extended to natural and man-made risks.
On the following day, the ‘Cultural Compass’ will be at the heart of the discussions. This strategic framework aims to integrate culture into all EU policies to support its economic and societal potential.
At a high-level meeting held on 20 March to launch the consultations aimed at drawing up this ‘compass’, the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Equity, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef (see EUROPE 13605/13), called for “radical change” to enable the cultural sector to adapt to geopolitical upheaval, technological change and growing inequalities. Indeed, the aim is to “counter any risk or threat to art and culture”.
In addition, a working session will be devoted to presenting the results of an analysis commissioned by Poland on the situation of young artists on the labour market in the Member States. Carried out by Marek Krajewski, Professor of Social Sciences at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, the report will serve as a basis for discussion on the introduction of more effective support policies for emerging professionals in the cultural sector.
To see the agenda for the informal ministerial meeting, go to https://aeur.eu/f/gaj (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)