New EU-funded cultural projects launched across EU and Western Balkans
13 new EU-funded cultural projects are being launched across Europe, designed to increase cultural cooperation within the Western Balkans and with EU Member States, and strengthen the competitiveness of the cultural and creative industries in the Western Balkans.
The new projects has been introduced at an event on 19 May, for cultural stakeholders with an interest in co-operation between the EU and Western Balkans.
Speakers included:
• Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement
• Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
• Alessandra Luchetti, Head of Department for Creativity, Citizenships and Joint Operations at European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)
• Walter Zampieri, Head of Unit, Culture strand of the Creative Europe programme at European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)
• Barbara Gessler, Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
• Holger Schroeder, Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations.
The Call for Proposals: Cultural Cooperation Projects in the Western Balkans was launched by Creative Europe in 2019. The projects selected are interdisciplinary, covering sectors as diverse as photography, literary translation, classical music, comics, dance, visual arts and cultural heritage. They also explore broader themes such as sustainability, history and stereotypes, and aim to build sustainable networks across the Balkans and beyond.
The Cultural Relations Platform is supporting the visibility of the projects and maximising the results internationally.
The 13 projects were chosen from 339 applications and will all be delivered by a group of partner organisations from across Europe. Helene Skikos, Policy Officer at the European Commission said: “The opportunities created by the call generated an incredible amount of interest, demonstrating the level of dynamism and cooperation in the Western Balkans, and the relevance of the call’s approach to the current needs of the cultural and creative sectors in the region.
“The list of selected projects is balanced in terms of participating countries, covers all the priorities of the call, comprises a diversified and balanced portfolio of sectors and contributes to the crosscutting objectives of the Commission, such as gender equality and women’s empowerment, youth, children, LGBTQI+ and body-diverse artists, the environment and migration.”