The Minister of Culture thanked Germany for its successful presidency of the Council of the European Union during the second half of 2020 and for the leadership it showed while dealing with the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. During Germany’s presidency, negotiations regarding the regulation of the programme Creative Europe 2021–2027 were successfully completed, the conclusions of the Council of Europe were adopted regarding a free and pluralistic media protection system, and the presiding country’s conclusions on gender equality in the field of culture were adopted as well.
The modernist architecture of the next year’s European capital of culture Kaunas, which is also known as the architecture of optimism, is competing for the UNESCO world heritage status. According to the Minister of Culture, we have strong cultural ties with Germany, and we are united by the idea of optimism not only in terms of architectural relations with Bauhaus, but also in relation to the European Union; therefore, Lithuania and Germany share this important positive provision.
The conversation’s participants devoted a lot of attention to the season of Lithuanian culture planned for this year in Bavaria. During the season, there are plans to introduce the classical, contemporary, pop and jazz music scenes, visual arts, sound installations, performance arts, and literature. The ambassador hopes that the pandemic will not hinder this important presentation of Lithuanian culture in Germany. According to Matthias Sonn, the culture of our country has a strong potential which must be showcased internationally.
During the meeting, the Minister of Culture also reported that Lithuania has applied to join the UNESCO Executive Council for the term of 2021–2025 and expressed delight in our country’s active participation at the European Film Market in Berlin. A broader introduction of the Baltic film industry is planned to be presented at the EFM in 2023.
