On April 7 and 8, during the Informal meeting of EU and UK ministers of culture, Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, held several bilateral talks to discuss international support for Ukrainian culture.
Key discussions included talks with Glenn Micallef, EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport; Chris Bryant, UK Minister for Creative Industries, Arts, and Tourism, and Ministers for Culture of Belgium, Caroline Gennez, and Denmark, Jakob Engel-Schmidt.
Mykola Tochytskyi expressed his gratitude to his European counterparts for their strong support of Ukraine’s cultural resilience. The meetings covered important topics, such as strengthening the protection of Ukraine’s cultural heritage during the ongoing russian aggression, and providing support for Ukrainian artists and the book publishing sector. They also focused on joint cultural projects to promote Ukrainian culture globally, including organizing exhibitions of Ukrainian museum collections, especially those affected by the Russian invasion, at European venues.
A key focus was placed on promoting the exchange of expertise between professional communities, particularly restorers. European partners shared that they are actively working on a comprehensive evaluation to identify further ways to support Ukraine, in line with the country’s priorities for protecting and preserving its cultural heritage. These efforts are being led by European Commissioner Glenn Micallef and are part of the ongoing commitments made during the first international conference on culture in Ukraine, “Cooperation for Resilience”, held in Uzhhorod on February 1st.
The discussions concluded with a positive assessment of Ukraine’s progress in its European integration, especially in adapting its legislation to meet EU cultural standards.
