EU ministers of culture focus discussions on fostering creative and resilient Europe
At the European Union Council of the Ministers of Culture session in Brussels, Minister of Culture Šarūnas Birutis highlighted the crucial contribution of culture to strengthening the resilience of European societies in the context of the current geopolitical challenges, during a policy debate on the future of the Creative Europe programme and the strategic guidelines of the “Culture Compass”.
Minister Birutis stressed the need to strengthen the Creative Europe programme by ensuring adequate funding and taking into account the expectations of the cultural and creative sectors. He also stressed the need to find timely, innovative solutions to simplify the administration of the programme and to develop decentralised funding opportunities for smaller projects, so that the programme effectively serves the role of culture in society and the strengthening of democratic values.
“Culture plays a key role in strengthening the resilience, critical thinking and democratic values of our societies, especially in the face of current security challenges. That is why we need not only to strengthen the Creative Europe programme, ensuring its funding and flexibility, but also to clearly anchor the contribution of culture to the EU security and the fight against disinformation in the guidelines of the Culture Compass,” Minister of Culture Š. Birutis said.
In Brussels, ministers approved the Council’s conclusions on support for young artists and cultural and creative professionals at the start of their careers. The Council conclusions on the evaluation of the legal framework for audiovisual media services, which will serve as a basis for the European Commission’s review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive in the broader context of the EU new digital legal framework, were also approved. At the same time, Lithuania supported proposals to strengthen the protection of copyright and related rights and to ensure transparency in the field of artificial intelligence.
In discussing other matters at the Council, Minister of Culture Š. Birutis presented Lithuania’s initiative, which is also supported by the other Baltic States and Spain, on EU cultural cooperation to foster a common European memory, in particular with regard to the legacy of totalitarian regimes and the protection of democratic values in the 20th century, and to strengthen the EU resilience. It is proposed to include this topic as a priority value in the future strategic framework of the “Culture Compass” and to promote initiatives to address it through culture. Germany and the Czech Republic also supported this Lithuanian initiative at the Council.
Minister Birutis expressed Lithuania’s support for the initiative of Estonia on the contribution of culture to EU preparedness: long-term preservation of digital cultural heritage.
Representatives of Denmark, which will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of this year, presented their themes, emphasizing the role of culture and the media in promoting European values and resilient democracy.
In preparation for the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, during his visit to Brussels, Minister Birutis held the consultative meeting with the Ministers of Culture of Greece and Ireland, and met with Nela Riehl, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament.
Last updated: 10-06-2025
Related news:
Minister for Culture visits Estonian Song and Dance Festival: strengthening the Baltic community
Lithuanian and Polish cultural heritage preservation experts continue their partnership
Discussing cultural ties between Lithuania and South Korea: Minister Š. Birutis met with Ambassador