The informal ministerial meeting dedicated to Culture opened in Warsaw on Monday 7 April with discussions on the protection of cultural heritage against the effects of natural and man-made disasters.
This subject, mainly addressed from the angle of the reconstruction of Ukrainian heritage, stems from the EU Council Resolution on the EU Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026 of December 2022, which aims to strengthen risk assessment skills, improve disaster preparedness and coordinate actions as part of a cross-cutting approach to safeguarding cultural heritage, including intangible heritage.
In her opening address, Poland’s Minister of Culture, Hanna Wróblewska, spoke of the seriousness of the threats to Europe’s cultural heritage and called for “a readiness to react and manage cultural resources in all types of crisis”.
Speaking to the press, the Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, Mykola Tochytskyi, who was invited to take part in the discussions, took stock of the disastrous impact of Russia’s war of aggression on his country’s heritage.
More than 2,000 cultural sites have been partially or totally destroyed and more than 1.7 million artefacts are now threatened or displaced.
Mykola Tochytskyi said he was “grateful” for the Polish initiative, which offered him “a much-needed communication platform on how to protect and defend our cultural heritage”.
Speaking to journalists, German Minister Claudia Roth described the conflict as “an attack on culture itself”, referring to the systematic destruction of libraries, theatres and philharmonic halls.
And that Germany would do everything in its power to support Ukraine and Poland.
The Slovenian Minister, Asta Vrečko, also spoke about the floods that hit her country in 2023, and called for an approach to reconstruction that is “integrated into the living fabric of heritage and designed in harmony with nature”.
According to a working document consulted by Agence Europe, the ministerial discussions are part of the implementation of the EU work plan for culture. The report recommends building the capacity and skills of stakeholders, encouraging the exchange of best practice via existing platforms, and compiling a European inventory of guidelines and methodologies to improve asset risk management.
The document also places emphasis on the European Union’s financial support in this area.
And with good reason: the European Regional Development Fund and the Creative Europe and Horizon Europe programmes provide support for conservation projects, energy-efficient renovation of historic buildings and digitalisation of heritage.
In addition, the Regulation adopted on 29 February 2024 establishing the ‘Ukraine Facility’ states that the reconstruction of Ukraine’s heritage will have to comply with European quality standards and be accompanied by a reinforced fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural goods.
According to the same document, the Polish Presidency stated that, at the end of the meeting, it wanted to collect written contributions from Member States in order to compile a catalogue of best practices and formulate recommendations to support Ukraine in its bid to join the European Union.
The meeting will continue on Tuesday 8 April with a discussion on the EU’s future ‘Cultural Compass’ (see EUROPE 13605/13) and the conditions for integrating young artists. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)