Ernest Urtasun announces new contribution to the European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Cinema in 2025

The Minister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun, during the conference 'Cooperation for Resilience' held in Ukraine

The Minister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun, has taken part in the culture ministers 'Ukraine Cultural Conference: Cooperation for Resilience' organised by the Ministry for Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, in the city of Uzhgorod. Representatives from more than twenty countries, including the culture ministers of Germany, Greece, Finland, Poland, Sweden and Bulgaria, as well as international institutions such as the European Union and UNESCO, took part in the meeting, which aimed to address the reconstruction and safeguarding of Ukraine's culture.

Throughout the day, issues such as the importance of the role of culture for national sovereignty; the protection and reconstruction of heritage; and the international fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property in contexts of war, among others, were addressed.

Spain's support for Ukrainian culture

In his first speech at this summit, the Minister for Culture reaffirmed Spain's unconditional support for the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia's illegal invasion and for all peoples who are victims of unjust wars, as well as its willingness to accompany these peoples in their reconstruction and the construction of a lasting peace, in which culture and respect for the cultural sovereignty of countries must play an essential role.

In this respect, Urtasun told the forum about the actions that Spain has been carrying out since the invasion to support the Ukrainian cultural sector. On one hand, through the Spain-UNESCO Cooperation Trust Fund, the Lyev Cultural Centre, inaugurated this week, has been created. With this Cultural Hub, Spain aims to contribute to training in the field of culture and research in cultural policies of excellence.

On the other hand, efforts are being focused on specific cultural sectors such as cinema. Therefore, in addition to the 300,000 euros that Spain contributed in 2024 to the European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Cinema, the minister announced that another 200,000 euros will be added in 2025. This is in addition to the 10 million euros in Humanitarian Aid recently announced by the Spanish Cooperation, which amounts to a total of 100 million in this area since the beginning of the war. In addition, these contributions are coordinated with the 400 million in reconstruction aid that Spain is deploying.

Spanish solidarity has also been reflected in the cultural institutions and museums that have joined the 'Professionals and Museums with Ukraine' campaign, sending trucks loaded with protective material, including the Prado National Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum. And finally, as the minister announced, "we are working on an agreement for the exchange of cultural and training professionals, as well as on the knowledge and dissemination of the Ukrainian reality in order to promote solidarity between our countries."

Mondiacult 2025

Spain's participation in this summit is part of the agenda that the Minister for Culture will maintain during this year for the preparation of Mondiacult 2025, the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development.

In the framework of the summit, Urtasun is holding bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Ukraine, Mykola Tochytskyi; Sweden, Parisa Liljestrand; Poland, Hanna Wróblewska; and Bulgaria, Marian Bachev; as well as with the European Union Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef.

These meetings have enabled progress to be made in the preparations for the summit, which will be held in Barcelona from 29 September to 1 October. Mondiacult 2025 will bring together UNESCO's 194 Member States to define together the global agenda for culture.

Non official translation