While the world focuses on military tactics in Ukraine, a quieter war rages for the soul of the nation. Children cry for food and their parents, missiles rain down, yet in conference rooms, journalists, security experts and foreign policy analysts discuss "Europe at War" comfortably from their distance.
Amidst all the talk a critical front is being ignored: the cultural front.
The war at our doorsteps is not only a brutal invasion on an independent European country, but an assault on international laws and on peoples’ culture, heritage, and identity. It is the systematic pursuit of Russian colonialism and denial of an independent Ukrainian culture and existence.
Putin’s war is a drain on the people, culture, and economy of Ukraine. It has driven millions into poverty and is devasting on all fronts. Still, Ukrainians are showing extraordinary resilience and determination fighting the aggressor, and defending the fundamental values of freedom, democracy and human dignity which are essentially cultural. Ukraine is fighting for its existence as it is fighting for its European destination. We need to do all it takes, not only to support Ukraine, but to make it win the war and cultural battle.
The European Union’s decision to grant Ukraine an EU membership perspective in June 2022 and to open accession negotiations in December 2023 evidences European leaders’ recognition of Ukraine as a pivotal partner now, and in the future.
After the war, Ukraine will have a key role supporting the EU in its efforts to promote peace, stability, and democracy in the region. None of these ambitions can be achieved without culture.
Aware of the deep cultural dimension of the conflict, the initiators of the Cultural Deal for Europe campaign – European Cultural Foundation, Culture Action Europe, Europa Nostra – supported by hundreds of arts, culture, and civil society actors, including important philanthropies like TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary and Museums for Ukraine, have come together calling for a European Cultural Deal for Ukraine. .
The European Cultural Deal for Ukraine proposes a strategic, longterm vision for Ukraine, firmly attached to European values and with a solid European sentiment towards its people.
Ukraine’s heroic fight, strength and resilience also show through its cultural resistance. Theatres, operas, museums, galleries, libraries, and art spaces continue to operate whenever possible providing support and hope. Culture is essential for Ukraine today as for its future tomorrow.
In this spirit, the European Cultural Deal for Ukraine campaigns for culture and cultural heritage to be part of the EU’s and Ukraine’s Recovery Plans and Actions, specifically for two percent of the Ukraine Facility (2024-2027) worth up to €50bn to be allocated to culture.
The collective appeal advocates for:
There is still no sight of an EU emergency mechanism for culture
While the European Cultural Deal campaign, working together with the European institutions on the one hand, and pushed by Ukrainian cultural actors on the other, succeeded to have culture in both the EU’s and Ukraine’s Recovery Plans, there is still no sight of an EU emergency mechanism for culture – as called for by the European Parliament in its resolution on cultural solidarity with Ukraine (in October 2022).
Setting up such a European cultural solidarity and recovery mechanism could be a powerful first initiative of the new Culture Committee of the European Parliament and the incoming European Commissioner for Culture.
The European Cultural Deal for Ukraine recognises the value of arts and culture as forces of resistance, expressions of resilience, and essentials to the reconstruction of Ukraine – emotionally, mentally, and physically. We must invest in culture and its capacity to heal, unite communities, and imagine a way forward. This counts as much for Ukraine as it does for Europe.
Ukraine boasts a wealth of cultural traditions, languages, and ethnicities, reflecting its complex history and diverse population. By celebrating and preserving this cultural tapestry, the deal aims to strengthen Ukraine’s European belonging and identity while fostering greater appreciation for its cultural contributions and heritage within the EU and beyond.
Initiatives strengthening a culture of solidarity — such as the Culture of Solidarity Fund (Ukraine edition launched the day after Russia’s brutal assault) — and creating cultural bonds between Ukraine and other European countries play a crucial role in supporting Ukraine’s arts and cultural ecosystem, preserving its cultural richness for future generations, and preparing for Ukraine’s EU membership.
Crucially, the success of the European Cultural Deal for Ukraine will depend on strong political commitment, adequate funding and meaningful engagement from all stakeholders. The EU, national governments, cultural institutions, civil society organisations and the private sector must work together in a spirit of cooperation and solidarity.
New forms of public-private partnerships need to be engineered, and current cumbersome and outdated administrative and financial rules be revisited, upgraded and some possibly scrapped.
We want the EU to assume leadership—also in cultural terms. We want to see a European Commission president championing culture and a European Parliament united for Ukraine's cause in Europe. Ukraine’s future is in Europe, but there is no future without culture.
Isabelle Schwarz is head of public policy at the European Cultural Foundation
Isabelle Schwarz is head of public policy at the European Cultural Foundation