The Eastern Partnership (EaP) Cultural Observatory, recently created to take over the results and activities of the EU-funded EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme, has presented its first brief in which it compares the international cultural representation of the six EaP countries.
The authors gathered comprehensive information from the six countries, including a record of adherence to international cultural conventions, a list of international cultural events organised inside the six countries, and a list of international cultural events organised outside the region.
The Cultural Observatory experts found that the global diversification in the economies and cultures of the EaP countries keeps gravitating towards its traditional hubs. They also highlighted the role of diaspora and the fact that, while the state still plays an important role in exercising cultural representation and diplomacy, civil society and regions also participate. They also underlined the role of culture in the economic impact on the tourism sector, which represents a growing share in GDP worldwide.
The authors of the brief added that internationally organised top cultural events undoubtedly have greater potential to catch global attention. The Eurovision Song Contest, for example, was hosted by the region twice in recent years: in Azerbaijan (2012) and Ukraine (2017).
The experts concluded that, after the relative isolation the EaP countries experienced in the twentieth century, they are now more and more open to the world through culture, with increasing momentum.
The Eastern Partnership Cultural Observatory provides an overview of the EaP region (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine), bringing together evidence-based materials and identifying priorities for research and new policy initiatives. The Observatory inherits and continues to make available the EU-Eastern Partnership Culture and Creativity Programme’s (2015-2018) research results.
