Ukrainian cultural sector protests exclusion from €50 billion EU aid package, calls for more transparent process

Professionals across Ukraine’s cultural sector are expressing strong opposition to the Ministry of Economy’s decision to exclude the cultural and creative industries from a proposed €50 billion European Union aid package. The package aims to support the “restoration, reconstruction, and modernization of Ukraine.”

More than 100 cultural figures from a cross-section of fields have signed an open letter addressed to Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s Prime Minister. The petition urges him to take action so support for the cultural industry will be included in the EU’s Ukraine Assistance Fund, which is slated to provide grants and loans for the country’s reconstruction from 2024 to 2027.

The petition contends that while drafting the budget, the Ministry of Economy neglected to consult all stakeholders, including civil society and cultural representatives, as mandated by the EU. The letter states that these recommendations were disregarded “without explanation,” thereby “calling into question the legitimacy of the process.” It asks Shmyhal to instruct the government to create working groups that will finalize proposals and submit them to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine for proper consideration.

The letter says the budget for the EU fund should include the following

• Support for cultural heritage during the war
• Preserving community access to culture
• Funding to insure access to books and audio books in Ukrainian, particularly for Ukrainian refugees and veterans
• Development of existing cultural institutions: Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, the Ukrainian Book Institute and the Ukrainian Institute
• Support for the reform of several areas, including: the system of management and protection of cultural heritage, the system of cultural institutions at both the national and local level, and the system used to fund providing cultural services to the population.

The appeal has been signed by such Ukrainian cultural figures as manager Yulia Fediv, cultural anthropologist Mykola Skyba, former Deputy Minister of Culture Halyna Hryhorenko, chief director of the Kyiv State Drama and Comedy Theatre on left bank of Dnipro river Tamara Trunova, Natalia Kryvda, UCF expert and doctor of philosophy, Roksoliana Svyato, literary critic, Anton Martynov, director of the Laboratory Publishing House, and others.

See complete Ukraine Recovery Plan here (Ukrainian).

Main image: gmk.center