Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand hosted ministerial meeting and Nordic-Baltic culture minister meeting

On 2 May, the Nordic ministers for culture met for the first of two meetings this year. Topics on the agenda included Nordic culture prizes and the Nordic culture budget for 2025. They also discussed crisis preparedness in the cultural sector, which is one of Sweden’s priorities in this area during its Presidency. 

The Nordic ministers for education and research also held a meeting in Stockholm and, together with the Nordic and Baltic ministers for culture, visited Nordiska museet for dinner and a guided tour of the exhibition Nordic Life. 

That evening, the ministers for education and culture signed a new declaration on Nordic language policy that aims to strengthen linguistic unity in the Nordic region. The language declaration that was adopted in 2006 has now been updated, including in accordance with new technological conditions. The update also includes sign language, new mother tongues and a number of minority languages that have been spoken in the Nordic region for a long time. 

Nordic-Baltic culture minister meeting for preparedness in the cultural sector

On 3 May, the Nordic and Baltic ministers for culture convened for an informal ministerial meeting. At the meeting, the ministers exchanged experiences of working on preparedness in the cultural sector. They also discussed development needs and opportunities for collaboration to preserve cultural heritage and maintain cultural activities in the event of a crisis, heightened alert or war, touching on issues such as establishing contingency and emergency plans, digitalising collections, cooperation between sectors and combating disinformation. 

“Culture and cultural heritage are key aspects of a resilient and democratic society and, in light of the international situation, we need to work on preparedness in the cultural sector. We share this issue with many of our neighbouring countries and have much to learn from each other. I hope that the meeting will be the first step in an ongoing exchange to preserve cultural heritage and maintain cultural activities in the event of a crisis, heightened alert or war,” says Ms Liljestrand. 

The invited ministers signed a joint declaration in connection with the meeting. It emphasises the significance of cultural cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries, the importance of culture to democratic societies, the value of contingency planning in the cultural sector and the exchange of knowledge and experience between our countries.