With the Council exceptionally held in Luxembourg, the EU ministers of Culture resumed the discussions begun in early March on the measures adopted and to be adopted in support of Ukrainian artists and creative professionals - both refugees and non-refugees - and the cultural world.
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(de g. à dr.) Lucian Romașcanu, ministre de la Culture de Roumanie ; Sam Tanson, ministre de la Culture
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Réunion bilatérale - (de g. à dr.) Simonas Kairys, ministre de la Culture de la Lituanie ; Sam Tanson, ministre de la Culture
Joining his counterparts via video conference, Ukrainian minister for Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko once again gave a poignant account of the current situation in Ukraine. Urging support for his country and a joint response as Europeans united by values, he deplored the disinformation propagated by Russian media channels, the instrumentalisation of culture and artists in support of genuine Russian propaganda, and the mindless destruction of Ukraine's cultural heritage.
During their discussions, the ministers noted the numerous initiatives and mobilizations observed at national level, both by public and private cultural actors. They also agreed on the need to centralize - via a single portal - this information at European level, to mobilize existing European instruments and to provide additional funding, particularly for the reconstruction of cultural heritage, in coordination with other international bodies. The minister for Culture, Sam Tanson, gave her support to these proposals and paid particular attention to the need to fully involve all levels of governance in Ukraine.
The Council also adopted the conclusions relative to the strengthening intercultural exchanges through the mobility of artists and cultural and creative professionals and through multilingualism in the digital age. Another text approved by the ministers was the conclusions entitled "Building a European strategy for the ecosystem of cultural and creative industries".
In the margins of the Council, minister Sam Tanson also met with her counterpart Simonas Kairys, minister of Culture of Lithuania, for an exchange on Kaunas2022 and Esch2022.
Press release by the Ministry of Culture